First Lady Michelle Obama announced Thursday that the technology industry has promised to train and hire 100,000 military veterans and spouses over the next five years. The announcement was made at Micron Technology, Incorporated (a semiconductor manufacturer) in Manassas, Virginia. Microsoft Corp., Cisco and Oracle are among firms who agreed to take part in the program. The private sector has far exceeded a challenge President Barack Obama issued back in August 2011 to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the year 2013. Mrs. Obama added that more than 850,000 veterans and military spouses had been hired by U.S. businesses in the four years since the president first set the hiring goal. The first lady is marking the fourth anniversary of Joining Forces, the nationwide campaign she helms with Jill Biden (wife of Vice-President Joe Biden) to help military veterans and their families secure employment and other public and industry support. Mrs. Obama also announced a smaller pledge to get 33,000 military vets and spouses jobs in the fast-growing solar energy industry over the next five years.
