BT Americas Supports Clinton Global Initiative; Makes Commitment to Veterans with the Bob Woodruff Foundation

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BT Americas Inc. is honored to participate in the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting and to announce BT's Commitment to Action – "Empowering Veterans in Transition to Civilian Workforce" – in partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

The CGI Annual Meeting, being held this week in New York, brings together global leaders to share insights and ideas for creating meaningful and lasting change in the world.  Each member of CGI is asked to make a Commitment to Action in which the member organization develops an achievable plan to address a significant global issue.

In 2011, BT commits to assist U.S. veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce through job shadowing opportunities to help veterans recognize the transferable skills that they have acquired in the military and to give them an insight into the types of jobs available in the civilian workforce. BT will also offer pro-bono consultancy on teleworking technologies to organizations interested in using teleworking to hire disabled or geographically dispersed veterans.

"With unemployment levels across the U.S. at a record high, veterans have been particularly hard-hit by the recent economic downturn," said Kim McMann, President, US and Canada, BT Global Services. "BT is privileged to be a member of the Clinton Global Initiative and to announce our Commitment to Action.  It is exciting to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to empower veterans and provide them with additional tools and knowledge needed to re-enter the workforce."

BT is proud to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation in fulfilling this commitment. The Bob Woodruff Foundation will provide subject-matter expertise on issues related to injured service members and their families and provide assistance with the major reintegration issue this community faces related to employment.

"BT is making great strides in connecting injured veterans to employment opportunities by utilizing and making available their technology expertise. Together we will help fulfill our mission to provide resources and support to ensure injured service members and their families have successful futures," said Bob Woodruff, co-founder Bob Woodruff Foundation and ABC News Reporter.

BT's Commitment to Action – "Empowering Veterans in Transition to Civilian Workforce" – will seek to offer job shadowing opportunities to 100 veterans at BT's main offices across the U.S. during the next 12 months. The program is expected to launch in BT Offices locations which may include New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; Reston, VA; Dallas, TX; El Segundo, CA; Santa Clara, CA; and Princeton, NJ. A series of one-day events in each selected city will be structured to include an overview of BT and the solutions it builds and delivers for its customers. Participating veterans will then be partnered with a BT team or individual employee to get a first-hand view of the types of work BT employees undertake. These one-day events are expected to conclude with a session on interview skills and resume-writing led by BT's HR team. BT will run 10-12 events in total, hosting between 5-15 veterans at each event.

BT will additionally provide counsel/consultancy to companies interested in hiring disabled or geographically dispersed veterans using teleworking technologies. This consultancy will be delivered via the following methods: 1) teleconferences 2) seminars at BT's offices 3) one-to-one meetings with large corporations referred to BT via CGI or other partner organizations.

For more information regarding BT's participation, please contact Vanessa Goddevrind at [email protected].

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

ABOUT THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation provides resources and support to service members, veterans and their families to successfully reintegrate into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically.  Through a public education movement called ReMIND.org, the Bob Woodruff Foundation helps educate the public about the needs of service members returning from war – especially the 1 in 5 service members who have sustained hidden injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury and Combat Stress, including Post Traumatic Stress, Depression and Anxiety – and empowers communities nationwide to take action.   Across the country, the Bob Woodruff Foundation collaborates with other organizations and experts to identify and solve issues related to the return of service members from combat to civilian life and invests in programs that connect our troops to the help they need – from individual needs like physical accommodations, medical care and counseling, to larger social issues like homelessness and suicide.   The Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $9.5 million, impacting more than 1,000,000 service members, support personnel, veterans and their families nationwide.  

For more information about the Bob Woodruff Foundation please visit www.ReMIND.org

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries.  Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services.  BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group's revenue was 20,076m pounds Sterling with profit before taxation of 1,717m pounds.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. 

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

SOURCE BT