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When Ryen Macababbad prepared to leave the military after nearly a decade and two active duty deployments, she was unsure about the future. “For the past eight years I’d had everything taken care of,” she says. “I wasn’t going to have that lifeline anymore, and that was really scary.”

Macababbad could not have foreseen that she would soon have a job as the program manager for Azure Active Directory, Microsoft’s cloud-based directory and identity management service; visit The White House; and be honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the Joining Forces Initiative, yet that’s exactly what happened.

saint martin's university
Retired Colonel Charles H. Hodges, who pioneered the transitioning programs, including MSSA, at JBLM speaks at the dedication ceremony of the lab and classroom, which bear his name, the Colonel H. Charles Hodges Jr. Microsoft Software and Systems Academy Lab.

The former U.S. Army sergeant is a graduate of the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA), a collaborative effort between Saint Martin’s University, Joint-Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and Microsoft which offers a 16-week training designed to help servicemembers transition to highly-skilled technology careers.  The program is so effective that 98% of its graduates move directly into full time careers with companies like Microsoft, Intel, and Amazon while the remaining 2% stay in school to further their education. Two graduates have been to the White House while another has testified before Congress on its behalf.

“The Department of Defense has told us that it’s the most successful transitioning program in the U.S.,” says Radana Dvorak, Dean of Saint Martin’s University’s Extended Learning Division. “The collaboration with Saint Martin’s at JBLM was so successful that Microsoft has expanded the program’s model to three other military bases with other universities around the country. They’re adding five more in January and will roll it out nine more throughout the year.”

Microsoft and JBLM first approached Dvorak about piloting the program to attract highly skilled servicemembers to IT fields that have thousand of unfilled positions. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act, a piece of legislation introduced by Washington State Senator Patty Murray, made the program possible. “The U.S. government was looking for a seamless way to transition from the military to employment,” she says. “This allowed funding so that the military could release veterans up to four months before they actually transitioned out and they would still have a salary and health care. Their work day became studying or training.”

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Ninety-eight percent of all graduates from the program transition into high paying jobs within the tech industry.

Saint Martin’s was a natural fit for an educational partner in this effort. The university has been offering education to the military since one of its monks began teaching returning World War II veterans. “Saint Martin’s has had a presence on base since 1972,” says Dvorak. “We were approached about this program because of our success of delivering higher education and careers to the military.”

The first MSSA class on base began in the fall of 2014. Since then, 141 have gone through the MSSA, with another 35 servicemembers completing the program by December. Current groups have a choice of two different academic and training paths: (1) Database Management and Business Intelligence and (2) Server and Cloud Administration. A third, Cybersecurity, is currently in development with plans for Saint Martin’s to offer the new learning path in the next academic year.

Until now the MSSA has been housed on the base, aimed primarily at military personnel. Beginning this January 2017, the MSSA will be offered for the first time on the Saint Martin’s main campus in Lacey, in the new Panowicz Foundry for Innovation and E.L. Wiegand Laboratories. Dvorak notes that while the original JBLM program was designed for active duty personnel in the process of transitioning out, the new Lacey-based MSSA will open its doors to veterans already transitioned out of the military.

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The MSSA offers a unique collaboration between the tech industry, the military, and institutes of higher learning like Saint Martin’s University.

The MSSA program is demanding, says Dvorak. Participants earn 18 credits of Computer Science in 16 weeks and prepare for the Microsoft Certified Professional exam. Mentors from Microsoft call in or visit in person to help students prepare and deal with different aspects of transitioning from military to civilian life. “They help to prepare them for interviews and for a different type of working environment,” says Dvorak.

Military personnel are uniquely suited to the challenge, she believes. “Vets are mission-focused and they know how to work in team environments. They can deal with ambiguity and they have of soft problem-solving skills that a 22-year-old undergraduate won’t have. It’s just a matter of retraining them to work in a civilian world.”

In the tech world, the demand for skilled workers is huge. Forbes Magazine recently estimated that one million employees are needed in cybersecurity alone, and that by 2020 there will be 400,000 graduates with the skills necessary to fill 1.5 million jobs. “You can see the problem. This is why companies are interested in training or retraining vets,” says Dvorak.

saint martin's university
Veterans cover 18 credits of computer science in just 16 weeks which culminate in job interviews with industry giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM.

Microsoft would like to see 1,000 veterans graduate from the program every year. Currently, the Saint Martin’s campus is on target to facilitate between 100 and 150 students per year. This year they’re opening the academy to veterans who are already out of the military and in another year they plan to include military spouses on main campus in Lacey.

While previous graduates of the MSSA program have gone on to work in Seattle or the Bay Area, in the future, more graduates may have the opportunity of finding tech jobs locally. “The Seattle-to-Portland-belt is going to become the Silicon Valley of the Pacific Northwest,” says Dvorak. “A huge flux of companies are moving north from California and south from Seattle and Bellevue. There are going to be more.”

The MSSA’s first cohort on Saint Martin’s Lacey campus will begin on January 24, 2017. Applications to the program are currently being accepted. Students who complete the MSSA program also receive a certificate in Computer Science from Saint Martin’s University and can apply credits earned toward a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science through Saint Martin’s. For veterans and transitioning servicemembers interested in applying, visit Saint Martin’s University Extended Learning Division located in Stone Education Center, JBLM Main or call 253-964-7392 or email MSSA@stmartin.edu. Applicants can learn more about the program on Saint Martin’s MSSA website.

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