Veterans have many valuable skills to offer the civilian workforce, but sometimes need support to identify a post-military pathway, acquire the necessary credentials or professional development opportunities, and connect with potential employers. These programs, organizations and resources may be of interests to clients who are currently serving or formerly served in the Canadian military.
Don’t miss the free recording of this recent CERIC webinar: Military to Civilian Transitions – What Career Practitioners Need to Know
Organizations/programs
Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services (PCVRS)
Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services, on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada, is a personalized support program designed to help veterans and their families transition to life after service. It offers access to medical, psycho-social, vocational rehabilitation and vocational services tailored to the unique needs of the veteran, spouse/common-law partner or survivor.
Career Transition Services (Veterans Affairs Canada)
Still-serving members or former members can apply for this service managed by Agilec, which provides career counselling, help with resume writing, interview preparation and job searching.
Coding for Veterans
Coding for Veterans, offered in partnership with the University of Ottawa, offers a 100% online, instructor-led, self-paced, flexible program that gives veterans an opportunity to join the tech industry and start a career in software development and cyber security.
Education and Training Benefit (Government of Canada)
Individuals who were honourably released from the Canadian Armed Forces or are a member of the Supplementary Reserve and meet the “length of service” requirement might qualify to receive funding for education or training. The Education and Training Benefit is not limited to formal post-secondary training. A smaller amount of funding is also available for short courses, such as those aimed at career and personal development.
Helmets to Hardhats Canada
Canada is a registered non-profit organization that has been providing second career opportunities within Canada’s Building Trade Unions to the military-affiliated community for over a decade. Its website features a Career Resources page as well as information for employers about why they should hire veterans.
Legion Military Skills Conversion Program (British Columbia Institute of Technology)
This program is designed to help accelerate and advance the careers of current and former serving Canadian Armed Forces Members. It aims to recognize the knowledge and skills developed during military service to offer fast-track education options and career support services.
Military to Civilian Career Transition (The Centre for Career Innovation and Challenge Factory) [online course]
Self-directed career transition courses for veterans based the “A Question of Style” research project exploring employer bias regarding veteran working style, motivators and competencies; the project was conducted by Challenge Factory and funded by CERIC and the Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada. Courses include “Veterans at Work,” “Assess Your Career & Leadership” and “Explore Your Career Possibilities.”
Military Veterans Program (Canadian Franchise Association)
The Military Veterans Program (MVP) connects CFA’s members with veterans and reservists. Participating CFA members can list their franchise opportunity, including special discounts offered for military veterans and reservists, on the MVP portal on LookforaFranchise.ca.
Books and guides
Military 2 Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioner’s Guide (CERIC)
This updated 2025 edition, available for free download and for sale in print, helps career coaches, counsellors, HR professionals, hiring managers and others working with veterans understand the evolving challenges and opportunities in supporting military-to-civilian career transitions. It includes updated strategies for career planning, job search, resume translation, and adaptation support for both veterans and their families.
Check out this excerpt from the book on CareerWise: ‘Without support, I wouldn’t be where I am’: One veteran’s military transition story
My Transition Guide: Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life (Government of Canada)
The employment section of this guide includes information on job search, providing evidence of skills, competencies, job preference and more.
The Canadian Guide to Hiring Veterans (Challenge Factory)
Learn how hiring Veterans can help you meet your talent needs while improving your overall HR practices in today’s challenging and evolving business landscape. Gain insights from relatable hiring scenarios and evidence-based research that dispel common myths about veterans in the workplace.
Websites and resources listings
Canadian Forces (Skilled Trades Ontario) [Website]
This web page offers information on Trade Equivalency for individuals with a Canadian Forces Certificate of Military Achievement with a Qualification Level 5 (QL5) or Developmental Period 2 (DP2) rating in one of nine eligible military trades. To support veterans in their transition from military to civilian life, Skilled Trades Ontario provides an exemption from assessment fees.
Job Bank (Government of Canada)
Job Bank is committed to helping veterans transition to meaningful careers in the civilian workforce. Its tools include Job Search, Job Alerts, Job Match and Resume-Builder.
Veterans & Serving Military Members (WorkBC)
A compilation of resources for members or veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces including: Resources for Military Career Transition, Job Search for Veterans, Business Resources for Canadian Service Veterans, Canadian Veteran Business Directory and more.
Other
A Question of Style: What HR and career professionals need to know about “misunderstood” candidate groups such as veterans (CERIC and Challenge Factory) [Webinar]
This free recorded webinar demonstrates how the challenges that veterans face serve as a good case study for all employers and career practitioners. Topics covered include: how unconscious bias about “cultural fit” in the recruitment cycle can be quantified and exposed; how members of hidden talent pools can combat unspoken assumptions that might otherwise limit hiring success; and specific insights about Canadian veteran civilian career transition.
Fanshawe College: Developing a military-connected approach (CareerWise) [Blog]
Military-connected students are a diverse group of individuals with different intersecting identities, as well as real and perceived barriers to education. Darryl G. Cathcart and Darlene O’Neill share Fanshawe College’s journey to identifying and supporting military-connected students throughout their post-secondary journey.
Helping military families navigate challenges in career development (CareerWise) [Blog]
This article shares lessons Elizabeth Nicholas has learned working with military spouses and members at the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre, as well as some tools and programs she uses to help clients succeed.
Elizabeth also wrote this article for CareerWise: How to create meaningful online spaces to support military spouses’ careers
