North Carolina is home to over 86,000 veteran-owned small businesses. In celebration of National Veterans Small Business Week and Veterans Day, Facebook — together with veteran-owned businesses around the country — announced three new initiatives to help active military and veterans continue to build their community, find job opportunities and enhance their digital skills through Facebook.

1. Military and Veterans Hub

The Military and Veterans Hub will benefit veterans and veteran business owners across the state, providing active military and veterans with a one-stop resource on everything from digital skills training and upcoming events to a military job tools section, military skills jobs translator and connecting with other military groups on Facebook.

2. Partnership with SCORE

By partnering with SCORE, one of the largest networks of volunteers and experts in support of America’s veterans, military spouses and their families, Facebook will provide education and mentoring to those in the veteran community who dream of becoming entrepreneurs through a mentor match program, veteran-focused educational toolkit and workshops.

“Veterans and the military use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family,” said Payton Iheme, U.S. Public Policy Manager at Facebook. “Now, we’re introducing a Military and Veterans Hub to support this community and help them find job opportunities and enhance their digital skills. Our partnership with SCORE will provide veterans and their families with the business education and experienced mentoring they need to start or grow their business.”

The program includes:

-A mentor match that connects military members and veterans with a cohort of SCORE’s experienced business mentors who are also US veterans.

-A veteran-focused educational toolkit for launching a business, including steps for developing a business plan.

-Veteran-focused interactive workshops for guidance on starting a business. SCORE’s veteran mentors will also be available to all attendees after the workshop for continued support through all stages of startup and growth.

“We are grateful for all that our nation’s veterans have done for us, and are proud to help veterans and their families who want to start their own business,” said Bridget Weston, CEO of SCORE. “Data shows that entrepreneurs with access to a mentor are five times more likely to succeed in business, and we’re excited to be working with Facebook to provide our veteran community with the support and guidance they need to succeed.”

3. AR/VR Engineering Program for Veterans

Facebook is testing a 12-month career development pilot program for veterans with a background in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science in order to help solve global challenges. While this is a new program, Facebook has long been committed to the recruiting and career development efforts for veterans that work at the company.

The values and experiences of veterans, active duty military and military families in North Carolina play a key role in helping Facebook achieve the mission of bringing the world closer together. Veterans and active military members use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family. In fact, more than 900,000 people in the US participate in more than 2,000 groups for military members, veterans and their spouses on Facebook. To learn more about the Facebook Military and Veteran Hub please see here.