Activision Blizzard Joins White House Initiative to Increase Veteran Employment in Technology Sector
May 05 2016 - 10:30AM
Business Wire
Expands the Call of Duty Endowment’s
Commitment to Ending Veteran Unemployment
Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) today expanded its commitment
to the veteran community by participating in the White House’s
Joining Forces initiative. At a ceremony hosted this morning by
First Lady Michele Obama and Dr. Jill Biden in the White House,
Activision Blizzard joined over 50 other US-based technology
companies who altogether pledged more than 100,000 in hiring
commitments for veterans and military spouses over the next five
years.
The only interactive entertainment company to join the pledge,
participation in the Joining Forces initiative complements the work
of Activision Blizzard’s foundation, The Call of Duty Endowment
(the Endowment), which secures high-quality jobs for veterans and
raises awareness about America’s significant veteran unemployment
problem.
“Over the past year, organizations supported by the Endowment
saw a 15% increase in requests from veterans for support,” said
Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard and
Co-Founder of the Call of Duty Endowment. “Activision Blizzard and
the Endowment have helped more than 22,000 vets get good jobs, but
there is much more to be done.”
Joining Forces works with the public and private sectors to
ensure service members, veterans and their families have the right
tools to succeed throughout their lives. Since the launch of
Joining Forces in 2011, more than 1.2 million veterans and spouses
have been hired or trained.
“By supporting the Joining Forces initiative, we hope the
combined efforts of the White House and companies like ours can
solve the ongoing problem of veteran unemployment,” said Dan
Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “If
we accomplish this task, we will improve the lives of those who
served and their families for generations to come.”
In 2009 the Endowment set a goal of 25,000 veteran career
placements by 2018. To date, through its robust and efficient grant
program, The Endowment and its grantees have placed more than
22,000 veterans in high quality jobs at a cost of less than $600
per placement1. Veterans placed last year earned an average
starting salary of more than $50,000.2
The Endowment takes a performance-driven approach to funding
organizations that deliver the highest standards of quality and
cost-efficient veteran job placement services. Through its Seal of
Distinction program, the Endowment identifies best-in-class
organizations in the veteran employment space. Applicants have to
meet rigorous criteria to be considered, including opening their
books to provide extensive documentation about their results in
placing veterans in jobs. A sample of the metrics assessed include
number of placements made, average cost per placement, average
starting salary, six-month retention rate, key employee background
checks, and a variety of organizational financial health
indicators. Semi-finalists are then independently assessed on a pro
bono basis by Deloitte and ultimately approved by the Endowment’s
Board of Directors. The award is accompanied by a $30,000
unrestricted grant, as well as the opportunity to apply for future
funding. The Endowment awarded $5.6 million in grants to previous
Seal of Distinction recipients this year and has donated over $21
million to the effort since inception in 2009.
In addition to its annual veteran-focused Day of Service,
Activision Blizzard also utilizes key business opportunities to
support veteran employment. These include the Race to Prestige, an
annual video game marathon featuring the newest Call of Duty game
which raises money for the Endowment. Last year Activision Blizzard
participated in partnerships with Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox,
GameStop, Costco, BestBuy, CKE and others to support getting
veterans back to work. Activision Blizzard completely covers the
organization’s overhead costs, so every dollar the Endowment raises
goes directly to funding veteran employment programs.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the
world's most successful standalone interactive entertainment
company. We delight over 500 million monthly active users around
the world through franchises including Activision's Call of
Duty®, Destiny and Skylanders®, Blizzard
Entertainment's World of
Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo® and Hearthstone®:
Heroes of Warcraft™, and King's Candy Crush®, Pet
Rescue® and Farm Heroes®. The company is one of the
Fortune ʺ100 Best Companies To Work For®ʺ. Headquartered
in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has
operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196
countries. More information about Activision Blizzard and
its products can be found on the companyʹs
website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
About the Call of Duty Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit
corporation co-founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
The Endowment helps veterans find high quality careers by
supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by
raising awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace. For
more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit
www.callofdutyendowment.org.
ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision
Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the
properties of their respective owners.
1 2015 figure. Source: Call of Duty Endowment2 Source: Call of
Duty Endowment
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Rubenstein CommunicationsLauren Condoluci,
212.843.8493lcondoluci@Rubenstein.com
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