Avionics News February 2022 - 26

The NextOp team includes
(left to right, front row)
executive director Stephanie
Drake; employment coordinator
Tiffany Bradbury; development
director Shannon Cranson;
Louisiana employment
coordinator Stephen Sider;
(left to right, back row)
employment coordinator
John Zavala; programs
marketing coordinator Maddie
Zimmermann; employment
coordinator Patrick McManus;
Louisiana expansion manager
Chris Brown; employment
coordinator Joe King; programs
director Allen R. Whiteside; and
Louisiana regional manager
Ben Armstrong.
NEXTOP INC.
Continued from page 25
Win-win for businesses
Partnering with the AEA
Originally, the organization focused on filling positions
in oil, gas and other energy-related industries. Over time,
it has expanded and diversified to include employment
opportunities in aviation, construction, banking, health
care, technology, logistics, manufacturing as well as
others.
NextOp recently partnered with the Aircraft
Electronics Association to help bridge the gap between
the employment needs of military aircraft mechanics
leaving the service and civilian companies' need to hire
experienced aviation technicians.
" There is a good percentage of aircraft mechanics and
service members who are mechanically inclined and are
quick learners transitioning out of the service, " McManus
explained. " So, in this case, NextOp partners with companies
who have a need for aircraft mechanics in the workforce and
provide vetted quality candidates for open roles.
" Our only limitation is finding the right candidates in
the right location at the right time. We're not limited to
veterans or companies we currently work with. With the
AEA's broad membership base across the United States,
this opens up a large number of opportunities for the
veterans we serve. "
26 avionics news * february 2022
In addition to former and transitioning military personnel,
NextOp works closely with companies, helping to provide
outreach to veterans, consulting on job descriptions, NextOp
programming, recruiting, hiring assistance and more.
" The biggest advantage is having a direct pipeline to
skilled and diverse candidates who have been pre-screened
and possess skills employers value, " McManus said.
" Today's transitioning veterans are highly skilled, dedicated
and adaptable individuals with an unparalleled work ethic.
Every year, some $17 billion is spent on military training
and education, making the U.S. military one of the top
employment training programs in the world. We partner
with employers across multiple industries, many of whom
have a strong desire to recruit and retain veterans but lack
the resources and knowledge of how to do so. "
NextOp also recently partnered with the U.S. Department
of Defense to assist with the SkillBridge program. The
program allows service members to gain valuable private
industry experience by going through civilian training,
apprenticeships or internships while they're finishing their
military service.
All of NextOp's services are free to both service members
and companies. The organization is funded through
supporters, including corporate donors. Typically, NextOp
has 100 to 150 veteran and military service personnel in the
queue at any given time with capacity to assist more. q
Avionics News February 2022

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