Program helps veterans find new career paths

November 11, 2021 | FOX 26 Staff and Sasha Armstrong

HOUSTON - With nearly 200,000 service members leaving the military each year, often unsure of their next steps, The American Corporate Partners Program is here to help.

After witnessing the September 11th attacks, former investment banker Sid Goodfriend decided to launch ACP a program pairing veterans with volunteers to help transition those in the military service back to the civilian sector and already, more than 20,000 veterans have taken part. 

"Close to 90 percent of vets who are returning say that their biggest challenge is that they don't know what they want to do next, and our program helps them figure that out," Goodfriend says. "The mentor will work with the person to help them figure out what they want to do, expand their network....to help them understand different opportunities that might be available." 

The protégé is carefully matched in a one-on-one pairing with a professional working at various companies, including Amazon, Pfizer, and FOX. The mentors volunteer one hour a month for one year. 

"The nice thing is, with a hundred of the biggest companies involved in our program, we know who's hiring," Goodfriend adds. "The average starting salary for its protégés is $86,000 per year."