Microsoft on Monday announced the Elevate America’s Veterans Initiative to bring together a coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations to provide veterans and their spouses with the support they need to be successful in their transition to civilian careers, including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling and other support services such as childcare, transportation and housing.

To support these programs, Microsoft will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to veterans service organizations, work force agencies, community colleges and other nonprofit agencies through a competitive funding process.

The unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans is 20 percent higher than the overall unemployment rate for nonveterans. While veterans are highly trained in military and leadership skills, many lack the formal education, training and certifications required by employers as they transition into the civilian work force. More than half of today’s jobs require some technology skills, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that will reach 77 percent in the next decade.

This initiative builds on the company’s Elevate America program launched last year, designed for all Americans, to provide people with technology skills training, industry-recognized certifications and work force readiness tools to help them prepare for 21st century jobs.