The Not So Secret, Secret to a Successful Army Transition

The SkillBridge

In this article, I want to provide information concerning the Department of Defense SkillBridge (or Career Skills) program and how it benefits both the service member and the gaining employer. Having started my due diligence and the process to cultivate my network, I’m surprised when I speak to both employees and employers who have never heard of SkillBridge. So, I hope this essay reaches a broad audience and helps those who have never heard of the program consider it a great option. First, I want to share what I’ve experienced over the last six months or so, what I anticipate experiencing as I get closer to military retirement, and how the SkillBridge option will support my success in the future.

Separation Anxiety

For nearly 19 years, I've had the honor of serving my country as a Soldier in the United States Army. I've developed bonds with my brothers- and sisters-in-arms that will never break; I met my wife (a fellow Soldier) and started a family; I learned a myriad of skills that will benefit me and whomever I am blessed to work with next. However, my time is coming to an end. I am due to retire in just over a year...and it scares the hell out of me. Why am I scared, you may ask. I’ll tell you. The military provided many things I’m unsure I can find anywhere else. Intangibles that you can find within a compensation package or in bonus options. Honor. Purpose. A clear Mission. These are just a few examples of the feelings I share with all my fellow veterans. From those who have served a day to those who have been in the club for decades, those feelings that eventually cumulate into a sense of pride are the foundation of motivation. Transitioning away from this quilted nylon comfort blanket (woobie reference) generates anxiety.

Now I find myself asking how to mitigate this fear of the unknown. How do I prepare myself for what comes next? How do I thin the fog covering my future career, and how do I find a way to support my family once the structure of the Army is no longer there? I’ll be a cog without a machine. Thankfully, I’m not the only person to have noticed this and classified my (and many others) predicament as something requiring addressing.

A Brief History of Transition Assistance

1. For nearly 150 years after its independence, the United States generally left the task of starting a new life after serving up to the service member. It wasn’t until after World War I that the U.S. Congress decided it necessary to provide disability support services to veterans; post-World War II saw the dawn of the G.I. Bill (aka, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944) (O’Brien, 2022).

2. The G.I. Bill and some degree of disability support were the standards for nearly half a century until after the Cold War started to warm. In 1991, the National Defense Authorizations Act tacked counseling services for Soldiers transitioning out of service. Again, this standard remained for another two decades.

3. In 2011, a survey revealed a statistic that 12.1% of veterans were unemployed after separation from service. This was nearly 3.5% more than the national unemployment average for non-military adults. The Obama administration responded to this figure with the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, n.d.). This Act required all eligible separating service members to attend workshops designed to help find employment after transitioning out of Active Duty, known as the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The workshops provided educational assistance with resume writing and insight into benefits veterans may not know they qualify.

4. The most recent addition to the assistance programs for veterans was introduced in October of 2018 as the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. This Act added additional requirements to complete TAP, further arming and separating service members with skills needed to succeed after their stint in the military (Garamone, 2018).

Modern Assistance

This brings the chronology of how the DoD has evolved to better assist those who have sacrificed so much for their country on the next adventure to the now (or last couple of years): SkillBridge (Hill, 2023). I first learned of the SkillBridge sometime around 2020. SkillBridge pinged on my radar when colleagues started their retirement process and leveraged the program to find employment before separating. So, what is SkillBridge? Essentially, SkillBridge is a joint DoD and private sector internship program designed to allow service members still on Active Duty to work for a private or corporate industry company for the last 180 days of their military career. The best part is that the Soldier is still receiving military pay and benefits while working with a DoD-approved company; the employers could “test drive” the potential new employee for free in most cases. This internship often leads to full-time employment once the service member officially separates. This is, of course, a huge deal. Allowing Soldiers to seek opportunities before figuratively cutting the umbilical cord connecting them to the military and thus leaving them with no support is a massive step in reducing transition-based anxiety. I would assess it likely contributes to reducing veteran population unemployment as well. Additionally, programs are designed to leverage a Soldier’s SkillBridge time to pursue certificates and advanced educational opportunities instead of finding work.

Here’s the kicker: the DoD SkillBridge has been around since 2011 (U.S. Department of Defense, 2022). Perhaps I only learned of it a few years ago because I’ve had my head in the sand. I would argue that from 2015 to 2017, I worked for the Training and Doctrine Command ushering in new Soldiers to learn their craft in the Army; more often than I liked, I also had to usher them out. I spent a significant amount of time with the Soldier For Life (SFL) TAP office, and I never once heard the word "SkillBridge" mentioned (Military Dollar, 2018). Why is that? This is a summary of personal experience, so the possibility that everyone around me was aware of this program, and I wasn’t, could be possible, but I have my doubts. I think that this may be a bit of a secret to some degree. To participate in SkillBridge, the company must be DoD approved (a lengthy process of potentially up to six months), and the Soldier's Command must approve the absence of a long time period. I agree that these requirements are necessary but may also contribute to a narrow distribution of information about the program.

With this article, I hope to spread the word about this program to those previously unaware such as Soldiers looking for support while crossing over and employers who want to fill positions with quality technicians and experienced leaders. The simple, statistical fact of the matter is that veteran unemployment is currently at 2.2% overall, a steep decrease from the 1990's; it would be hard to argue programs like SkillBridge have not greatly contributed to this reduction (U.S. Department of Labor, 2023). However, the concern remains that if I was unaware of this program, who else may not be aware? If this article can help one veteran find their next career and stay off the streets, It should be considered this a success.

References

Flex Air Skillbridge commercial pilot gateway. Flex Air SkillBridge Commercial Pilot Gateway. (n.d.). https://aviex.goflexair.com/skillbridge

Garamone, J. (2018, August 13). President signs fiscal 2019 defense authorization act at Fort Drum Ceremony. U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1601016/president-signs-fiscal-2019-defense-authorization-act-at-fort-drum-ceremony/

Have you heard of DOD Skillbridge?. Military Dollar. (2018, March 12). https://militarydollar.com/2018/03/12/have-you-heard-of-dod-skillbridge/

Hill, B. (2023, March 16). Career skills program sets transitioning soldiers up for Success. www.army.mil. https://www.army.mil/article/264912/career_skills_program_sets_transitioning_soldiers_up_for_success

Munksgaard, K. (2019, November 5). Six Small Business Startup Resources for veterans. SCORE Maine. https://www.scoremaine.com/2019/11/04/six-small-business-startup-resources-for-veterans/

O’Brien, C. (2022, August 19). A brief history of the GI bill. Army Times. https://www.armytimes.com/education-transition/2021/03/10/a-brief-history-of-the-gi-bill/

Service members find civilian career opportunities through SkillBridge. U.S. Department of Defense. (2022, June 3). https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/3052396/service-members-find-civilian-career-opportunities-through-skillbridge/#:~:text=Skillbridge%20has%20been%20around%20for,be%20able%20to%20find%20work.

Veteran unemployment rates. U.S. Department of Labor. (2023, April). https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/latest-numbers

Vow to hire heroes act of 2011: House Committee on veterans affairs. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. (n.d.). https://veterans.house.gov/legislation/vow-to-hire-heroes-act-of-2011.htm#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CVOW%20to%20Hire%20Heroes,October%2012%2C%202011%20%2D%20(H.R.