By Kim Waiyaboon
Military service offers some of the best career training in the world, not only in technical specialties, but also in so-called “soft” skills such as leadership, decision-making, dependability and attention to detail.
But the tens of thousands of active-duty service members who enter the civilian workforce each year sometimes find the transition difficult, particularly if they have served in combat and experienced trauma.
There’s also the challenge of translating knowledge, skills and abilities from the military to the civilian workplace because the cultures and languages are radically different. To address those challenges, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) established SkillBridge in 2014.
SkillBridge provides active-duty service members with free or very low-cost civilian employment skills training while they're still in uniform. The program is available to men and women from all branches of the service, at all ranks and classifications. There are even opportunities for military spouses.
SDV INTERNATIONAL became a proud partner of the DoD SkillBridge program in 2021. Private-sector companies like ours must be open and understanding about how to use the unique skill set of a service member, such as how to handle sensitive information. In fact, U.S. government contractors stand to benefit greatly from that unique skill set.
SkillBridge is designed to streamline the transition of service members to the private sector. No labor costs are incurred, and the service members gain value and knowledge about the business.
I’d like to share a bit more about SkillBridge and what makes it unique. We hope our experience will encourage other government contractors to become SkillBridge partners. I will also introduce you to Brad Bennett, an SDV INTERNATIONAL-SkillBridge participant who joined our company in 2022 as a business development associate.
What is the SkillBridge Program?
SkillBridge matches civilian opportunities to a service member’s job training and work experience as they approach the end of their military duty. By participating in a SkillBridge opportunity, the transitioning service member enhances his or her marketability and career prospects while still being paid and receiving benefits from DoD.
More than 1,700 companies partner with SkillBridge, so internship opportunities and employment skills training are diverse and nationwide. Defense contracting, energy, information technology, manufacturing, retail, transportation, government service and health care are some of the sectors represented. Each company or organization goes through an application process and is approved by DoD for participation.
There are program opportunities for registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, usually through education partners such as Tidewater (Va.) Community College and Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College. Service members also can familiarize themselves with a variety of jobs and industries through an unlimited number of job-shadowing opportunities.
What’s in it for employers? They gain early access to the skills, experience and work ethic of the approximately 200,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces who leave active duty each year to seek civilian employment or pursue higher education. This isn’t a one-size-fits all program. Employers craft SkillBridge programs to meet their specific workforce needs, matching those needs to the skills and abilities of transitioning service members, all at no cost to them.
How does SkillBridge differ from the Career Skills Program?
Both terms, “SkillBridge” and “Career Skills Program,” are used interchangeably under the DoD SkillBridge program. However, the term Career Skills Program (CSP) is more frequently applied to U.S. Army service members. More than 21,000 soldiers have completed various CSPs across 32 Army garrisons since 2015.
Who qualifies for SkillBridge?
Any enlisted service member or officer can apply for SkillBridge. SkillBridge permits the service member to use up to their last 180 days of service to train and learn with an industry partner. The service member must have had at least 180 days of continuous active-duty service and be expected to receive a general discharge (under honorable discharge conditions) or higher.
Release for the SkillBridge training program is always mission-dependent. The unit commander must authorize participation prior to a service member’s entrance into any agreement with an industry partner.
Each military branch can institute its own restrictions on SkillBridge participants within the 180 days.
In addition, onsite Skillbridge opportunities can be no more than 50 miles from the service member’s duty station. However, many industry partners offer virtual and hybrid programs.
Meet AN SDV INTERNATIONAL SkillBridge hire
Brad Bennett joined SDV INTERNATIONAL as a business development associate in 2022 after a 22-year Air Force career, having attained the rank of master sergeant. He will be heading up SDV INTERNATIONAL’s Air Force business development team. He lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
Brad, what did you do in the Air Force?
I spent my entire career in the Air Force Band as a member of The Singing Sergeants, the Air Force’s official chorus, stationed in Washington, D.C. I also did a couple years as a section chief for procurement for the band, handling a $3.4 million budget and contracts.
And how did you come to SDV INTERNATIONAL?
I’ve known SDV INTERNATIONAL’s president, Jason Roys, for 15 or 16 years, and when I was talking about retirement and wondering what I should do next, they asked me if I would be interested in working with them. Jason and the company are very patriotic. They serve the warfighter and are supportive of the military.
But our timelines were off. They were expanding, and I was still in the Air Force. I talked to my first sergeant, and he mentioned the SkillBridge program. It was news to me. I could transition early and start working for the company while I was still in the service. I had to get it approved by my commanding officer, who was very supportive. It was providential.
What did your training entail?
I was to be certified as a business development associate. SDV INTERNATIONAL laid out a program of mostly on-line courses through federal websites, small business websites and others. I also had a lot of on-the-job training, going to meetings and talking to a lot of people.
Did you get paid for SkillBridge?
Yes, I was still paid by the Air Force and had all my benefits.
Why are service members a good fit at SDV INTERNATIONAL?
They heavily support DoD contracts, so it helps to have that culture bridge. It’s not a large bridge to cross to work for SDV INTERNATIONAL and then turn around and interface with all the branches and talk the language again. I’m grateful to SDV INTERNATIONAL for the opportunity. They’re hiring me for my connections to the service and my ability to communicate.
Do you encourage other service members to consider SkillBridge?
Absolutely. It’s a great opportunity for the service member, because they can get to know a company’s culture while taking up to six months to gain valuable civilian work experience. It takes away a lot of the business’s risk because they get to train you for four to six months.
Why should service members consider SkillBridge and SDV INTERNATIONAL?
During our current growth period here at SDV INTERNATIONAL, we know service members will be agile in adapting to a rapidly growing and scaling environment that we are experiencing. We salute and thank all warfighters and can't wait to work with them.
Our SkillBridge employment skills training program, which is hybrid in format, runs from 91 to 120 days in two of our key locations, the Washington, D.C., area and Dallas, TX, where many service members are transitioning to civilian life but still want to make a difference in the world.
To learn more about SDV INTERNATIONAL’s SkillBridge program opportunities, contact SDV INTERNATIONAL here.