WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Citing the need for fresh talent, Travel
Leaders Group and its Nexion host travel agency launched a program aiming to
recruit more military veterans.
As part of the Nexion Veterans in Travel program, Nexion
will provide scholarships covering the full cost of tuition for training to
become an independent travel consultant, worth about $1,800, and will waive its
$199 activation fee and $218 monthly membership fees for up to two years for
those who launch a business.
Current Nexion travel agents who are veterans volunteered to
be part of a peer-mentoring program.
Nexion president Jackie Friedman said that being an
independent contractor with Nexion "offers tremendous flexibility in terms
of schedule and location with many agents working from home. It would be an
ideal career choice for many veterans."
Sherman Gillums Jr., chief strategy officer for AmVets, the
national military veterans advocacy group that partnered with Nexion, agreed.
"For some, a 9 to 5 job is great, but for a growing
number of veterans, career opportunities that are flexible, profitable, and
self-empowering are the preferred path," he said. "Veterans who face
transition stress simply want a fair shot at gainful employment."
Scholarship recipients will attend the Travel Leaders of
Tomorrow Virtual Campus program, which includes online courses and live
instruction in a small study group.
"At the core of this, besides being able to help
veterans launch careers, is the need to bring fresh talent to the industry,"
said Ninan Chacko, CEO of Travel Leaders Group. "This industry is thriving
and one of the challenges, frankly, has been the fact that we need fresh talent
in this business."