- Key insight: Discover how veteran recruitment is closing critical technician skills gaps at Schneider Electric.
- Expert quote: Jerome Soltani: Veterans' military skills align with field service reliability demands.
- Supporting data: Program targets hiring and training 400 technicians, prioritizing veterans.
- Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
At Schneider Electric, skilled technicians are at the forefront of business success — but
Schneider is launching a program to hire and train 400 new technicians, with a focus on the veteran population. The company uses advanced digital technology to make everything from critical facilities to data centers to infrastructure
The skills military veterans possess — discipline, commitment,
"It was fascinating to see the profile of these veterans," Soltani says. "The way they [operated in a] military environment resonates so much with what we need in our industry, so it became a no-brainer that we needed to have a dedicated program to grow this population within our organization."
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Investing in employees
Schneider's training and certification processes are ongoing, beginning with a multi-week boot camp for new hires that covers safety and the scope of work technicians will be doing. They also participate in job shadowing and continuous on-the-job training, and have annual refresh or additional competency training as recommended by their district manager. As quickly as technology is evolving, this helps employees gain more experience, certifications and career growth, and those in the service part of the business have expressed great interest, Soltani says.
"We are breaking the silos between our different businesses," he says. "The idea is to create a cross-business opportunity to be trained on other equipment, to make sure that we open our technicians to a wider portfolio, which creates more development opportunities for them."
Outside of its own recruitment strategy, Schneider Electric utilizes the Department of Defense's Skillbridge program, which provides training and guidance for veterans transitioning to civilian careers. It's efforts earned company recognition as a 2025 Military Friendly Employer.
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Focus on safety and community
In addition to career development, Schneider emphasizes the safety and well-being of its service technicians. In addition to year-round safety training events, the company equips them with seasonal gear, wearable device tools to identify if there is a risk of voltage around them, and vehicle monitoring so that the dispatch team can make travel time to jobs as efficient as possible.
"We are extremely focused on the safety of these technicians, so we invest money and time in everything they do to protect them," Soltani says.
Benefits include carry-over PTO and daily and weekly hour caps, and a state-by-state review of the benefits package is done annually to ensure total rewards are keeping up with inflation and market trends, Soltani says.
To make sure technicians know they are appreciated, the company showcases pride in its technicians including internal recognition programs and its We're Wired Differently campaign, which includes
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Schneider's commitment to great service has become a standout of its reputation among its customers, Soltani says. Part of the internal recognition process is to post their positive comments about service technicians' work.
"Having this dedication, being on call and making sure that you solve issues, is a value you see in these veterans," he says. "'I'm going to respond quickly, I'm going to be at the customer's side as soon as possible, and I will make sure that I fix the problem.' Being able to say that [many] of our technicians are veterans has become a value proposition for our customers."
