US-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp is offering army veterans and “active-duty service members in their transition window” a four-week internship programme. This is part of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Veterans Education Training and Transition (VET2) initiative, which is the first of its kind in the country.

Don Moore, military out-reach manager at Gulfstream, said: “The company appreciates the sought-after characteristics that veterans bring to the civilian workforce, including ‘can do’ attitudes, global perspectives, punctuality, the ability to remain calm under pressure and proven leadership skills. The VET2 programme is fully funded, and there are no costs for service members. It ties professional education with job experience by partnering active, transitioning and recently separated service members with an employer to receive classroom and on-line instruction.

“After completing a first week of academic training, veterans have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a three-week placement with an employer. At the end of the course, they will get a certificate from a world-renowned academic institution and will be well positioned to land a civilian job.

James Wilburn, military academic programme director for Georgia Tech Professional Education, said: “Veterans face a higher unemployment rate for a number of reasons, including a lack of civilian work experience and the challenge of transitioning to a new organisation with a very different language and culture.”

Over the next three years, as many as 60,000 members of the US military are expected to return to Georgia. The Peach State is home to the fourth-largest population of veterans nationwide.