COLUMBIA, S.C. –
Representatives of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command and Sonoco signed an agreement to provide priority interviews to qualified Soldiers participating in the Partnership for Youth Success Program last month.
Lt. Col. Stephen Christian, commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Columbia, signed the agreement with Allan McLeland, vice president of human resources for Sonoco, during a ceremony held at Sonoco's global headquarters in Hartsville, South Carolina.
"The U.S. Army is excited to add Sonoco to its team of corporate partners in the Partnership for Youth Success program," Christian said. "These partnerships enable our recruiters to offer applicants local, quality employment opportunities during and after their Army service."
PaYS is a strategic partnership program between the Army and a cross section of U.S. corporations and public sector agencies. It was developed to help the Army attract, train and deploy talented young people who want to serve their country but also want to help secure their future success once their Army service is complete.
"At Sonoco, we believe people build businesses, and today's partnership only reiterates that sentiment. The Army PaYs program is an excellent recruiting tool and will go a long way in helping us find great talent for years to come," McLeland said.
Under the terms of the agreement between USAREC and Sonoco, enlistees interested in gaining specific job training and qualifications will receive that training while in the U.S. Army. As they near the end of their enlistments, the Soldiers will have the opportunity to interview with Sonoco for a specific job.
"Each year thousands of young men and women develop valuable skills and gain experience in a broad spectrum of Army jobs," Christian said. "They are motivated, have professional work habits and high standards of conduct.This partnership is one way we can help ensure our Soldiers continue to achieve success after leaving the Army, and that American industry benefits by gaining quality employees."
The Army's list of corporate partners is long and growing. Partners include: BellSouth, Caterpillar, Lockheed Martin, Sears Logistics Services Inc., State Farm Insurance, John Deere Company, Goodyear and Southwest Airlines. Most recently, companies headquartered in South Carolina include: The City of Orangeburg, G&P Trucking and Suburban Plumbing. Sonoco is the 688th partner.
Sonoco jobs are in the Army's PaYS database. For more information, interested applicants may visit their local recruiter or log on to www.armypays.com.