Veterans to benefit from Fifth Third Bank scholarships

NASHVILLE – Every year Fifth Third Bank plans ways to support and honor veterans, active duty U.S. military, and reservists and their family members. This year the bank will fund $100,000 worth of full job coaching scholarships for veterans seeking help transitioning into a civilian career.

The scholarships provide eight weeks of personalized job coaching with a military job specialist at NextJob, a national reemployment solutions company. The scholarships, worth $1,000 each, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 100 U.S. military members, veterans and their spouses, who visit www.53.com/veterans to access the Job Seeker's Toolkit and complete enrollment. Fifth Third and NextJob will open access to the Toolkit, NextJob's proprietary online job search modules, for free to all former and current military this year. The scholarship contest and Toolkit access are available from October 15, 2015 – December 31, 2015. Once registered, access to the Job Seeker's Toolkit continues for up to 39 weeks.

"Members of the military face unique challenges making the change from the military into civilian life," said Kathy Malone, a 26-year Navy veteran and career coach, who leads the military job coach team at NextJob. "Personalized job coaching is proven to be highly-effective in helping bridge the gaps that exist for military members during the transition, including identifying transferable skills, crafting a marketable resume and aligning expectations about a civilian career. Our team has years of experience in helping servicemen and women and we consider it a privilege to continue to serve them in the next phase of their lives."

"If it weren't for Kathy Malone, my NextJob military transition coach, I would not be where I am today," said Joe Scherrer, retired Air Force Colonel and president of The Leadership Crucible. "After deciding to retire after a 24-year Air Force career, I wanted to create a � �soft landing' for myself and my family while also balancing my responsibilities as a Colonel and cyberspace operations wing commander. Frankly, except for sports, I was skeptical of any kind of coaching, but Kathy quickly dispelled my misgivings. She opened my eyes to opportunities I would not otherwise have seen. As a result, I set to work building a post-Air Force life around who I was, what I was good at and the contribution I wanted to make."

To access the Job Seeker's Toolkit and be eligible for one of the 100 scholarships, all current and former military members and their spouses should visit www.53.com/veterans and click on the "Veterans Job Training and Coaching Scholarships" box.

The contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited. For complete Official Rules, go to www.53.com/veterans and click on the contest link. See Official Rules for entry instructions, prize details, restr ictions, etc. Sponsor: Fifth Third Bank.

Source: Veterans to benefit from Fifth Third Bank scholarships