Starbucks announced a new plan this week that will help servicemembers returning from active duty, as well as their spouses, find steady employment.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the coffeehouse franchise plans to hire 10,000 veterans and military spouses in the next five years, thanks in part to an initiative developed by current Starbucks board member and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Through the directive, special recruiting events and processes will be held specifically for veterans, while the company will continue to track veterans hiring at their stores throughout the U.S.
Starbucks Chief Community Officer Blair Taylor told the news source that the new hiring plan is not a "charity initiative," but a way to ease the high unemployment rates of veterans who have just returned from service.
"This is an endeavor predicated on us genuinely needing the skills veterans offer," Taylor said.
The coffee giant is also preparing to open five community stores at U.S. military installations within the next five years. Community stores are special establishments that partner with nonprofits, and the ones at the military bases will share their profits with local organizations that service veterans.