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The military talent incubator helping veterans get employed WithYouWithMe has partnered with workforce utilisation start-up BenchOn to change the way veterans transition from the Defence Force.
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The aim of the partnership between the two veteran-owned tech start-ups is to allow transitioning veterans the opportunity to gain real, paid work experience with Australia’s best companies while still in the Defence Force, making their eventual transition more simple.
BenchOn is a Queensland based start-up that aims to solve the issue of employee under-utilisation by matching businesses available staff to short-term contracts from reputable companies. Under-utilised staff are an untapped resource in the struggle to find talent, and this partnership will give Australian businesses easy access to the highly trained veteran community.
CEO and founder of BenchOn Tim Walmsley is a former Australian Defence Force Major, offering him unique insight and understanding of the issues that veterans face in the transition process.
"Our veterans face a range of issues when transitioning, but with WithYouWithMe’s support and access to work experience in the commercial sector, we can greatly increase their chances of success," he said.
BenchOn has a client database with various defence industry companies, including RubiKon Group and Noventus, that will have access to this initiative.
Managing director of WithYouWithMe Tom Moore said the partnership between the two start-ups is a logical and successful decision.
"The partnership we’ve set up with BenchOn just makes sense. Both organisations are committed to shaking up the way companies approach talent management and both are tech start-ups growing at a rapid pace," he said.
"BenchOn have built a successful organisation underpinned by a great product, and with Tim’s deep understanding of the veteran community, we’re going to provide veterans with great experience to help them transition."
WithYouWithMe offers a mentorship program where people using the program undergo psychometric testing to help find the careers and roles best suited to them. They are then assigned a mentor, someone who has already gone through the program and transitioned out of Defence into another job.
This mentorship program is something that Walmsley and BenchOn were interested in offering to veterans.
"We were immediately drawn to WithYouWithMe’s holistic, pathway driven transition program including the use of mentors. Now with this partnership, you have two veteran-owned start-ups joining forces to provide our veterans with all of the support and experience they need to be successful in their life after the military," Walmsley said.
The partnership will see veterans who sign up to WithYouWithMe given the opportunity to be registered on the WYWM Bench. The WYWM Bench will allow veterans to find paid work on short-term projects for three to 12 months across Australia at top tier organisations, predominately in the project management and management consulting field.
The two companies will continue to collaborate on how to improve the transition experience for veterans through unique talent management solutions.
