Salesforce Announces New Workforce Development Initiatives, Extending Training Opportunities and Accelerating Hiring of the Military Community

New technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution are transforming our economies, our societies and our jobs. According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 35 percent of the skills required for jobs will change across industries by 2020. Today, at least 1 in 4 workers in OECD countries is already reporting a mismatch with regard to the skills demanded by their current job. Despite the growing need for reskilling and job training, educational opportunities and training are not currently available or accessible for most people.

Salesforce is committed to investing in the workforce of the future through its diverse set of programs focused on training, reskilling and hiring people for the jobs of tomorrow. Today, we are announcing the following two new workforce development initiatives:

Global Expansion of the Pathfinder Training Program

Salesforce is announcing plans to expand its Pathfinder program globally in collaboration with Deloitte, in Spring 2020, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area. The expansion will double the company’s original commitment to train 500 people by the end of 2020, and will train an additional 500 people over the next three years — 1,000 total. The four-month workforce training program launched in Indiana in 2018, and has since trained more than 150 community college students and veterans, helping prepare them for jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem as administrators and developers. Pathfinder graduates have been hired by top employers, including Deloitte, which has hired more than 10% of graduates to date into internships and full-time roles.

New Vetforce Alliance to Accelerate the Hiring of the Military Community

Salesforce is also announcing its new Vetforce Alliance in partnership with Accenture Federal Services and Prudential, a financial services leader, to prioritize and accelerate interviewing and hiring of the military community across the country. Accenture and Prudential are committing to conduct job interviews for all military participants who complete the Salesforce Vetforce program.

These efforts – all of which exemplify Salesforce’s core values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality – complement the following existing initiatives:

• Trailhead: A personal learning cloud that empowers everyone—regardless of their background—to learn in-demand technology skills for free online. We now have more than 1.3 million learners on Trailhead. Through guided, hands-on challenges, learners can develop tech technical skills working with AI and mobile app development, and business skills.
• Futureforce: Salesforce’s university recruiting and in-house internship program cultivates the next generation of talent through work experience. Salesforce interns are given real projects that impact how the business runs, setting them up for success in their future careers.
• Vetforce: Salesforce’s job training and career accelerator program for military service members, veterans and spouses connects virtual learners to free training, classes and career opportunities within the Salesforce ecosystem.
• Salesforce.org: Supports education and workforce development nonprofits that are working to close the opportunity gap for future generations. Over the last 20 years, together Salesforce, the Salesforce Foundation and Salesforce.org have given more than $114 million in education and workforce development grants to organizations including Year Up, Genesys Works, Jobs for the Future and local public schools, and Salesforce employees have volunteered nearly 600,000 hours with these organizations.
• Pathfinder Training Program: A four-month joint workforce training program with Deloitte, which prepares participants for full-time jobs as certified Salesforce Administrators and Developers. Participants receive technical skills training from Salesforce, in addition to general business training from Deloitte. Since its launch in 2018, three cohorts have gone through the program, totaling over 150 students.

“The Pathfinder Program opens up a world of possibilities for a nontraditional student like me who wants to switch careers and venture to the Salesforce ecosystem,” said Pathfinder graduate and Associate Salesforce Analyst at Deloitte, George Esteller. “Before joining the program, I was a stay-at-home dad and a full-time community college student. Now, I have the technical and business skills needed to be a Salesforce Admin while also having the opportunity to meet amazing people and widen my network. Without question, joining the Pathfinder Program is the best career move I have ever made.”

“I was medically discharged from the military and struggled to make the transition to civilian life and a corporate job,” said Lauren Zolp, Salesforce Business Analyst, Ledgeview Partners. “After being unemployed for three years, I heard about Salesforce’s Vetforce program–and just four weeks after joining Trailhead, I landed a job as the sole Salesforce Administrator at a startup and have never looked back.”

According to IDC, Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners and customers will generate 3.3 million new jobs worldwide by 2022 with $859 billion in new GDP impact worldwide. With this commitment, Salesforce will empower anyone, regardless of their background, to learn the in-demand technology skills they need to succeed in the digital economy.

*IDC White Paper, Sponsored by Salesforce, “The Salesforce Economy Forecast: 3.3 Million New Jobs and $859 Billion New Business Revenue to Be Created from 2016 to 2022.” October 2017