Nov 19, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

First UK Veterans Graduate from NS2 Serves Technology Training and Employment Programme

Aidan Gray, Aviation Communication Specialist and Ryan Dix, Flight Operations Manager, both from the British Army Air Corps, British Army, on Friday 16th November became the first UK veterans to graduate from the United States-based NS2 Serves® programme, following three months of the in-residence training.

NS2 Serves aims to reduce employment gaps by providing veterans with both the technical know-how and ‘soft business’ skills to gain employment in some of the world’s most prominent technology companies. Established by Mark Testoni, the President of SAP National Security Services, Inc. (SAP NS2®), NS2 Serves offers a three-month, full-time, paid training program, which leads to official SAP certifications that pave the way for careers in technology in the US and globally.

Since its inception in 2014, the programme has successfully trained and found employment for more than 200 former US military personnel, however Aidan and Ryan are the first to go through the programme from the UK. C5 Capital’s Cloud Leadership Centre (“CLC”) was instrumental in these placements, working closely with NS2 Serves and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to find and place the candidates. The MoD operates a number of UK-centric programs to help veterans to find work and has taken this step to extend its collaboration with the U.S. Armed Forces further beyond personnel on active military duty.

Aidan Gray, former Aviation Communication Specialist in Army Air Corps, British Army said, “Transitioning to civilian life after nearly eight years was never going to be simple. There are a lot of programs on offer, but knowing which path to follow can be quite overwhelming. Then I came across the NS2 Serves program and am extremely grateful to the MoD for making this introduction as part of their post-Forces career support. It’s a real honour to be one of the first UK veterans to be accepted on the programme. The experience we’ve had over the last three months have been invaluable, and I’m really looking forward to building a career in this industry.”

Ryan Dix, former Flight Operations Manager, Army Air Corps, British Army said, “Like Aidan, I wasn’t sure what to do next before I heard about NS2 Serves. Thanks to the skills we’ve gained and the connections we’ve made over the last three months I have a renewed confidence in both my own abilities, and my opportunities for the future. What’s more, my wife is American so it’s a pleasure to be able to experience more of her country!”

General (Ret.) John Campbell, Chairman NS2 Serves said, ”We are pleased to have extended this programme to the UK for the first time. We created this programme to help the military community, and by doing so it is important that we reach out to veterans in the UK and Australia who face similar employment challenges. We hope to continue to work with the MoD to place more UK veterans in the future.”

Brigadier Martyn Gamble, Head of Arms and Services, British Army said, “Participating in the NS2 Serves Programme provided the Ministry of Defence with a novel opportunity to further demonstrate its continued commitment to its personnel throughout all stages, including resettlement, of their military careers, and the chance to yet further our engagement with a key international partner. The MOD already has a number of programmes and initiatives designed to support our servicemen and women to find secure and fulfilling jobs when they transition to civilian life and the NS2 Serves programme complements this.”

Andre Pienaar, managing partner and founder C5 Capital, said, “We have a duty to ensure that personnel that have served us so faithfully across the world are repaid with proper employment and training for their new lives. We were extremely pleased to work with the MoD and NS2 Serves to pave the way for Aidan and Ryan and we will be following their future careers with great interest.”

The NS2 Serves program runs quarterly in the US, so far taking place in Virginia, Texas and Florida. It has pledged to work with more than 600 veterans from around the world by the end of 2021.

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About C5

C5 Capital Limited (C5) is a specialist venture capital firm, focused on Innovative Technologies in Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing. Headquartered in London, C5 also has offices in Washington, Munich, Luxembourg and Bahrain.

www.c5capital.com

About NS2 Serves

NS2 Serves® is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established by Mark Testoni, the President of SAP National Security Services, Inc. (SAP NS2®), to give back to the community SAP serves by training and employing veterans in high-tech careers. As its signature initiative, NS2 Serves offers training and employment assistance to recent veterans of U.S. national security missions. The course is open to post-9/11 U.S. military service veterans and reservists (including disabled veterans) and Gold Star spouses who meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time, paid participants are trained in world-class software solutions that support U.S. national security, leading to official SAP certifications, which are valuable in many career paths in the U.S. and worldwide. The training program was modeled on the successful Mawared Young Professionals Program offered by the SAP Training and Development Institute in Dubai To learn more, visit www.ns2serves.org.

1 Barclays, July 2017