A Department of Defense initiative, SkillBridge, is a job training and employment program that servicemembers can attend during the closing months of their enlistment. The program allows attendees to help develop skills they will need in a specific sector of the civilian workplace by offering internships and apprenticeships. Many companies providing the training go on and hire servicemembers that finish their program. To qualify, a service member must have completed at least 180 days of continuous active duty service, have an anticipated discharge date within 180 days, and at least a General Discharge Under Honorable Conditions.
Organizations participating in SkillBridge include many Fortune 500 companies, in addition to several labor and trade unions. For a training program to be accepted, companies must:
- Offer training that results in a high probability of employment.
- Be free or of little cost to the servicemember.
- Teach skills that are required to successfully perform that occupation in the civilian workforce.
- Not create a conflict of interest for the service member.
- Not offer any financial compensation to the servicemember while in or at the completion of a program.
Training Opportunities Available
With the program being fairly new, it is still growing and new training opportunities are still being added. Here is a sample of the fields already represented in the program:
- Computer-related (especially in IT and computer engineering)
- Real estate
- Machining
- Manufacturing
- Welding
- Automotive and aviation mechanics
- Medical and healthcare
- Public utilities
How to get into a SkillBridge Program
Getting started in a SkillBridge training program is a four-step process:
- Meet the 180-day eligibility requirements of continuous service time and projected discharge date.
- In conjunction with the Transition Office, explore the training opportunities available on post, base, or in the area.
- Get approval from the first Field Grade commander in your chain of command.
- Enroll and begin training.
Sample Skillbridge program
One of the SkillBridge programs approved by the Navy – that was completed in September 2018 at a community college in Virginia Beach, VA – was training to work in the natural gas industry. In that program, students learned about:
- Code review and safety focus
- Damage prevention
- Line locating
- Installation of pipe
- Mechanical joining
- Plastic pipe joining
A Marines-approved program recently graduated 20 of its servicemembers from a solar energy training program which prepared them for careers as solar photovoltaic system installers, sales representatives, system inspectors, and other solar industry jobs. In that 18-week program, transitioning Marines learned:
- How to size and install solar panels.
- How to connect electricity to the grid.
- How to comply with local building codes.
Many employers recognize that veterans have many highly developed learned skills from their military service that are transferable into the civilian workplace. By offering training through SkillBridge, they are not only able to train servicemembers in the skills necessary to work in a particular industry, but to create a pool of potential employees from the 300,000 servicemembers that transition out of the military annually. It is just another way smart companies can hire veterans and take advantage of those learned military skills that many employers seek to find. You can learn more by visiting their site at: https://dodskillbridge.com.
