Twenty-five minutes from Fort Hood, Texas, where approximately 900 soldiers exit and retire from the United States Army every month, AT&T* and CGI Group Inc., (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), a leading provider of information technology and business process services, are about to make life a little easier for veterans searching for work.
CGI today formally opened its Belton, Texas onshore IT services delivery center, which will support the delivery of AT&T's Managed Network Services to corporate and government customers. The new center will give veterans an opportunity to apply the leadership, experience and dedication they developed during military service in a customer-facing environment.
The CGI center comes at a critical time for post-9/11 veterans in Texas, where the annual unemployment rate among this group averaged 13.5 percent in 20111. That's more than double the current Texas unemployment rate for the general population – six percent in December 2012.
The new 40,000-square-foot CGI building at the Belton Business Park was completed in December and offers IT services for both commercial and public sector organizations. Operating from a nearby temporary facility since November 2011, CGI already has hired more than 130 employees, more than 50 percent of whom are veterans or military family members. CGI has a target of hiring between 350 and 400 professionals at the center by 2016.
"AT&T is committed to serving transitioning military and their families by connecting them to new job opportunities in their region. The location of the CGI center near Fort Hood was an important consideration in AT&T's decision to use the center to support the delivery of AT&T's Managed Network Services," said Paul Rosenbaum, Senior Vice President, AT&T Managed Services. "Veterans make up nearly 30 percent of the Fort Hood population. It offers a rich pool of candidates that understand and value teamwork."
The Belton Center is one of four CGI U.S. onshore IT centers providing full-service IT capabilities that meet strict security requirements. CGI invests in small U.S. communities to gain access to highly skilled local talent, creating quality jobs and growing technology expertise in America. Key to the success of CGI's onshore delivery model is strong partnerships with state and local government, economic development authorities and local colleges and universities.
"CGI sees increased demand for the kind of high-quality, cost-effective services we offer from our U.S. onshore IT services delivery centers," said Pete Ihrig, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CGI U.S. Enterprise Markets. "AT&T's selection of CGI and our center in Belton is proof positive – and demonstrates our collective commitment to creating good jobs for all Americans, particularly our veterans."
AT&T and CGI have various resources to help assist veterans and military service members in their transition to the civilian workforce. For more information, visit http://att.jobs/military.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
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