This year, Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and for most frontline teams, it will be business as usual. While a simple thank you matters, meaningful support goes further. For veterans transitioning into their first civilian jobs or hourly employees looking to advance their careers, programs that create real opportunities can make a lasting difference.
The most effective veteran employment programs do three things well: ease the transition from military to civilian careers, build practical skills through on-the-job training, and create clear paths for long-term career growth and retention. Here’s how leading employers are putting these programs into practice, and what frontline leaders can learn from their approach.
Some of the most impactful ways to support veterans go well beyond hiring commitments. From paid transition opportunities and hands-on apprenticeships to mentorship and continuing education, these employers are helping service members translate their military experience into meaningful civilian careers.
For veterans entering the civilian workforce, finding the right opportunity is only part of the challenge. Understanding how military experience translates into a new role, and having support along the way, can make all the difference. The Home Depot has invested in both.
Through its partnership with Hiring Our Heroes, The Home Depot offers a 12-week fellowship that connects transitioning service members with professional mentors, skills training, and networking opportunities. The program gives participants exposure to civilian workplace expectations while helping them build relationships that can support their next career move.
The company has also introduced an internal coaching program that pairs new veteran associates with more experienced veteran colleagues, helping them navigate the transition and find their footing.
What makes it work: The Home Depot recognizes that successfully hiring veterans isn’t just about opening the door. It’s about providing the guidance, connections, and support that help them build a future once they’re inside.
Learn more about The Home Depot’s veteran programs here.
Veterans often leave military service with valuable technical expertise, problem-solving abilities and experience working in demanding environments. The challenge for employers is recognizing those transferrable skills and finding opportunities to build on them.
In 2024, Hyster-Yale announced its participation in the Department of Defense SkillBridge program, offering technician apprenticeship opportunities in the materials-handling industry.
SkillBridge allows eligible service members to participate in civilian training internships, or apprenticeships during their final 180 days of military service, with military pay and benefits continuing during the approved transition period.
For employers like Hyster-Yale, it’s an opportunity to introduce transitioning service members to specialized technical careers while helping them develop the hands-on skills needed to succeed.
What makes it work: Rather than expecting veterans to arrive with every qualification for a civilian role, Hyster-Yale is creating a pathway to develop those skills. It’s an approach with particular relevance for frontline industries where technical talent is in high demand.
Learn more about Hyster-Yale’s SkillBridge participation here.
Getting veterans into civilian jobs matters. Giving them opportunities to grow, build connections, and advance over time matters just as much.
Walmart has taken a broader approach to veteran career support through initiatives focused on employment, education and community.
Its Find-a-Future initiative, launched in 2021, was designed to help veterans and military spouses explore career and educational opportunities. The Company also highlighted its Live Better U education benefit, which provides eligible associates with access to education and upskilling opportunities.
Beyond formal training, Walmart’s veteran and military spouse associate resource group helps create connections among employees across stores, clubs, and distribution centers.
Together, these initiatives address an important part of the veteran employment experience: feeling connected to a workplace while having opportunities to build a long-term career.
What makes it work: Walmart’s approach recognizes that career advancement and a sense of belonging go hand in hand. Veterans bring valuable experience to the workplace, and continued investment in their development helps ensure those contributions can grow over time.
Learn more about Walmart’s veteran and military family initiatives here.
These programs look different, but they share a common philosophy: supporting veterans shouldn’t end with a hiring decision.
For frontline employers looking to strengthen their own veteran hiring and retention efforts, several lessons stand out:
The takeaway? Employers don’t necessarily have to build an entirely new program from scratch. Partnerships, existing education benefits, mentorship initiatives, and more influential career pathways can all help create meaningful opportunities for veterans.
Veterans Day is an important opportunity to recognize the sacrifices service members and their families have made. But it’s also a reminder of how much veterans still have to offer.
Their military experience brings a unique combination of leadership, resilience, discipline, and real-world problem-solving to civilian workplaces. For frontline industries in particular, those strengths can make a meaningful difference on teams, in operations, and across an organization.
The employers leading the way understand that supporting veterans isn’t simply about thanking them for their service. It’s about recognizing their potential, investing in their skills, and creating opportunities for them to continue making an impact.
Because one of the most meaningful ways to honor what veterans have given is to invest in everything they still have to contribute.
Examples include the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program, Hiring Our Heroes fellowships, veteran mentorship and coaching programs, technical apprenticeships, and employer-sponsored education benefits. Companies such as The Home Depot, Hyster-Yale, and Walmart have supported initiatives designed to help veterans transition into civilian employment and develop their careers.
SkillBridge is a Department of Defense program that allows eligible service members to participate in approved civilian training, internships, or apprenticeships during their final180 days of military service. Participants continue receiving military pay and benefits, helping them gain civilian work experience before transitioning out of service.
Frontline employers can support transitioning veterans by recognizing transferable military skills, partnering with veteran employment programs, offering hands-on training and apprenticeships, providing mentorship, and creating clear opportunities for career advancement.
Veteran employment programs are most effective when they support long-term success, not just initial hiring. Mentorship, professional development, continuing education, and advancement opportunities help veterans build rewarding civilian careers while enabling employers to retain experienced, highly skilled employees.
The HIRE Vets Medallion Award sets benchmarks for the share of new hires who are veterans and for veteran retention. It’s a useful starting point for goals.