NEXTOP WORC GRANT

19 May 2023 

AIR FORCE | ARMY | COAST GUARD | MARINES | NAVY | SPACE FORCE
WHO WE ARE:

NextOp Inc. is a nonprofit veteran service organization 

(VSO) founded in Houston, TX in 2015

OUR MISSION:

NextOp recruits, develops and places high-performing 

middle-enlisted leaders (E3-E7) into industry careers

OUR VISION:

To be the strongest link between industry and military 

talent
Approximately 85% of post-9/11 

veterans are middle-enlisted & nearly 

1/3 of veteran job seekers are 

unemployed or underemployed

BRIDGING 

THE GAP

Industries are facing a widening 

skills gap and desperately needs the 

skills our veterans have to offer
FREE CANDIDATE SERVICES

● Direct access to employers & careers

● Resume building

● Interview preparation

● 1 on 1 career coaching

● Networking

● DoD SkillBridge facilitation

● DoL Employment Navigator and Partnership 

Pilot (ENPP)

● Veteran and partner mentorship
3300+ 43 $66K+

Our Employment Coordinators 

have placed over 3300 veterans - 

annual goal 500-600 placements.

It typically takes NextOp less than 

43 days to get a veteran hired. 

Lower than the national average.

The average 2023 NextOp 

starting salary is over $66,000 

and targeted to outpace inflation.
WORC SUCCESS - WORC 11 & WORC IV

WORC 2023

● Serve 1,200 Mil/Vet and place 900 into 

rewarding careers across Louisiana and 

Mississippi Delta regions

● Healthcare, logistics, and skilled labor 

pipelines 

● Financial Partnership with largest public 

employers in LA and Workforce Board

WORC 2020

● Place 300 Mil/Vet candidate in careers 

in SELA Delta Region

● Expanding Services & piloting pipelines 

in technology; healthcare; and, trade, 

transportation, and logistics. 

● Financial Partnership Regional 

Economic Development Org.
WORC APPLICATION - THE BASICS 

You guidepost for a successful application.

P. 8 

● Checklist - what you need to submit and where it is located

P. 15-32 

● Content and Form of Application Submission - the elements of the application and what they need to 

contain

P.38-39 

● Checklist with Scoring - Gather an understanding of the most important elements of the application 

and where to spend your time
WORC APPLICATION - SUGGESTED PROCESS

Build you foundation 1st - Start with Expected Results (10 points)/Project Timeline (0 points) → base of 

your Project Design (40 points) → Informs your Project Results & Achieving the Purpose of WORC (30 

points) → finish with you Statement of Need (20 points)

Expected

Results

Project

Timeline

Project

Design

Project

Results

Achieving

the

Purpose

of WORC

Statement

of Need
WORC APPLICATION - Expected Results 

Activities Expected Results

Recruit middle enlisted transitioning service member and 

veteran candidates

1,200 total candidates recruited for this project

Place candidates in healthcare careers in DRA communities 200-300 candidates placed into new healthcare careers in 

underserved communities

Place candidates in new careers in DRA communities 900 military and veteran candidates placed into new careers in 

DRA communities

Place candidates into high-quality employment with liveable 

wages

Place candidates into careers with average starting salaries 

more than $50,000+ 

Host workforce events Host and participate in 60-80 workforce events impacting 

500-700 candidates.

Perform outreach to businesses to develop workforce pipelines 

for high-quality employment outcomes

Create 6 workforce training to career pipelines targeting 

high-quality employment outcomes for military and veterans in 

healthcare, logistics, and skilled labor careers. 

Expand the region covered by NextOp’s innovative military 

and veteran employment assistance programming

Provide employment assistance services to 56 LA & 47 MS 

DRA parishes and counties (a 1000+% increase), including 

establishing a foothold in Mississippi
WORC APPLICATION - Timeline
WORC APPLICATION - Project Design

FOA-ETA-23-07 P.38 
WORC APPLICATION - Project Results

FOA-ETA-23-07 P.38 
WORC APPLICATION - Project Results

FOA-ETA-23-07 P.38 
INSIGHTS ON DEFINING NEED

Current national unemployment and underemployment rates do not accurately reflect our 

candidates 

● 63% of veterans are unemployment or underemployed when exiting 

service

● 10% of male veterans of color are unemployed and looking for work 

● 14% of female veterans are unemployed and looking for work 

● 22% of female veterans of color are unemployed and looking for work

Employment assistance is the lowest federally funded veteran service program

● .01% of the federal budget, or $300 million

● $17 per veteran annually

This leads to the one-size-fits-all approach by the current federal programs 

● A 22-yo with a GED, a pilot, a doctor and an astronaut will all receive the 

same training when exiting the service

Individualized mentorship has proven successful 

● Veterans that use a coach to help with their resume are 2x as likely to get a 

job

● Veterans that use a coach to practice interviewing are 3x as likely to get a 

job 
QUESTIONS?

NextOpVets.org

AIR FORCE | ARMY | COAST GUARD | MARINES | NAVY | SPACE FORCE

BEN ARMSTRONG

armstrong@nextop.org

504-298-8020