Photo By Stephanie Santos | This professional partnership offers opportunities to active-duty service members to...... read more read more
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It’s inevitable. When it’s time to begin transitioning from military service, service members are often confronted with familiar questions like… “What’s next?” … or “What’s your game plan?”
Transitioning from the military is a process that requires sufficient planning and preparation. DoD SkillBridge can be a vital piece in a service member’s transition plan.
What is Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge?
This professional partnership offers opportunities to active-duty service members to help support their post-transition goals and career paths. After completing Transition Assistance Program (TAP) requirements and receiving command approval, participants can receive real-world civilian training and up to 180 days of job experience in high demand fields.
Opportunities resulting from this program can be the answer to many post-military career questions.
SkillBridge can help hone technical skills while pairing transitioning service members with select training, apprenticeships, and civilian work experience during their last 180 days of military service.
SkillBridge includes a variety of industry sectors, including STEM, cyber, the defense industrial base, trucking, and may others, and offers positions ranging from entry level to senior management. Additionally, it provides a high employment success rate following successful program completion with positions available nationwide, in-person and remote/virtual.
Recently, an employer ethics course was added as a mandatory requirement for all prospective industry partners prior to submitting their application to become a DoD SkillBridge provider. This new initiative ensures organizations offering SkillBridge opportunities align with the DoD's commitment to maintaining ethical standards and protecting transitioning service members.
In one of many SkillBridge success stories, one employer expressed formal gratitude for being able to offer a technical position to a transitioning service member upon completing the program. This small business spoke highly of the transitioning service member hired for a full-time position as a lead technician and was highlighted as “the bridge between the engineering and technical departments.”
An Inside Perspective: Veterans Share Their Stories on How DoD SkillBridge Impacted Career Goals
For Correspondence Strategist, Bonnie Lindsay, SkillBridge was part of her gameplan and has been a game changer for her professional growth.
“It prepared me for a completely new culture, and the civilian sector is a whole new experience,” she said. “I was able to gain an additional six months of experience in a program that many employers in my career field look for in new hires.”
Lindsay added that her learning journey began on her very first day of training and she continues to flourish. Although she was entering into a completely new environment, she said the people she worked with made the job feel like a second home.
“The absolute outpour of warm welcomes and genuine support were a culture shock of pure joy for me in this process,” said Lindsay.
Last year, military veteran, Rohan Francis completed a SkillBridge internship that allowed him to prepare for his post-military career and currently serves as a property administrator for a Fortune 500 company.
“It has been a major impact in my life, and I would even go as far as saying it saved my life. I didn’t know what was going to happen after my time in service,” he said. “But with this training, I was able to showcase my skills and go into a completely new role that I was not familiar with.”
For Army veteran, Alan Marroquin, having frequent conversations with fellow comrades and a visit to the TAP office led him directly to the SkillBridge program. Following meetings with transition counselors, seeking command approval, and verifying signatures, he was well on his way to an internship with the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA).
“MSSA had services for interview preparation, resume building, networking events, and even counselors to guide each participant in the job search,” Marroquin said. “My main takeaways included the value of networking, the importance of translating military skills to civilian terms, and the realization that the civilian job market wasn't as daunting as it first seemed.”
When reflecting on things he may have done differently, Marroquin said he would have started speaking to people and networking earlier to get additional information about the various programs and resources available.
Marroquin also shared words of advice for all service members: “Embrace uncertainty. The transition is a big change, but it's also an exciting opportunity to grow and apply your skills in new ways.”
“At the end of the day, we realize we are more prepared than we think due to our military background. Stay open-minded and flexible,” said Marroquin. “Every path is unique, and what works for one person might not work for another. Just keep moving forward. The process may seem time-consuming but, in the end, it’s well worth it.”
To learn more about the SkillBridge program to include eligibility requirements, resources and specific locations, visit: https://skillbridge.osd.mil
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2024 16:25 |
| Story ID: | 487358 |
| Location: | ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DoD SkillBridge Opens Doors and Brings Transitioning Service Members New Opportunities, by Stephanie Santos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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