U.S. Military Pipeline to be Key Component of Effort to Reduce Unemployment and Underemployment Among Nation’s Veterans and Military Families

Durham NC - April 12, 2011 - Futures, Inc., a leading talent-management services provider, today announced that President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden jointly announced the launch of “Joining Forces,” which was described as “a national initiative to support and honor America’s service members and their families.” Futures’ service, called U.S. Military Pipeline (developed as a military solution with Cisco), was highlighted as a key contributor in support of the campaign.

Geoff Cramer, Founder and CEO of Futures, and others have been working with the White House to identify the challenges facing our nation’s military members and their families. U.S. Military Pipeline, which integrates resources for education, employment and more into an easy-to-use online experience, was identified as a key piece of the employment portion of the initiative.

“Even though only 1% of our citizens serve in the military, this is a shared crisis, and we need a shared solution,” said Mr. Cramer. “This is a unique opportunity for us to come together in public/private partnership to make a difference with a high tech, high touch solution. We can do it and we can make a difference for our military community.”

U.S. Military Pipeline is a web-based program for helping veterans, transitioning military, wounded warriors and spouses connect with education resources, mentors and employment opportunities. The program has been successfully piloted at Fort Bragg, NC with around 10,000 active users. One of the key findings was that the platform helps provide hope and relevance to exiting military, veterans and their families.

“The vast majority of the highest-demand positions in this country do not require a 4-year degree. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs that our vets are not only fit for, but they are actually some of the best candidates available. Unfortunately, we’re missing the connection,” said Mr. Cramer. “U.S. Military Pipeline can connect the dots between existing resources and employers to help our veterans and their families get rewarding jobs.”

U.S. Military Pipeline’s support for military spouses and families nation-wide is an important contribution to the Joining Forces initiative. As President Obama noted during his briefing, “Behind every American in uniform stands a wife, a husband, a mother, a dad, a son or daughter, a sister or brother. These families, these remarkable families, are the force behind the force,” he said. “They are the reason we have the finest military in the world.”

To learn more about the Joining Forces initiative, see the White House fact sheet: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/Joining_Forces_Launch_Press_Release_logo.pdf

Watch the press briefing here: http://www.c-span.org/Events/President-Obama-Remarks-on-Honoring-Americas-Service-Members/10737420843-1/

For more information about US Military Pipeline, visit http://USMilitaryPipeline.com or watch an introduction video: http://www.youtube.com/pipelinelive#p/u/0/xXXYptOScjM

About Futures Inc.

Futures Inc. is a leading talent-management services provider that created the first cloud-based National Talent Exchange, offering career-path and job-resource solutions to businesses, educators, job seekers and transitioning military. Futures’ flagship solution, Pipeline, reduces costs and drives workforce productivity by connecting qualified talent supply with open job requisitions from the demand sector. The Pipeline Platform provides a career development resource and ecosystem that enables job seekers to offer their skills and display their interests on a highly individual basis; while employers use Pipeline to better attract, develop, and retain talent. www.Futuresinc.com