Skillbridge Program Restructures

  • Published
  • By Lea Greene
  • 319th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  

The U.S. Department of Defense Skillbridge program has restructured to formalize application periods for military members and will host routine webinars to assist industry partners.

Each year, nearly 200,000 military members complete their service and transition to civilian careers or higher education. Corporate America can aid this transition by providing workforce training programs through the DoD Skillbridge, which helps ease reintegration into civilian life.

Skillbridge operates like a traditional internship program, but the servicemember’s salary and benefits are covered by the Department of Defense for up to the final 180 days of service.

Employers can create Skillbridge programs to meet their specific workforce needs at no cost. However, they must advertise their programs to attract separating military members.

“I have had several providers contact me by phone regarding a lack of participants in their Skillbridge programs. In each case, the provider’s website did not have accurate information about their Skillbridge program,” said Bradford Zielske, education services officer at Grand Forks Air Force Base.

“One site referenced the provider’s headquarters location, which was several states away, instead of the location of the actual training and potential employment opportunities in North Dakota,” Zielske added.

Zielske encourages local industry partners to have a dedicated employment page for the Skillbridge program that military members can easily find, as well as placement on the Skillbridge industry and employers website.

Interested employers can learn more about the program and register for free webinars at https://skillbridge.osd.mil/industry-employers.htm.

Beginning October 1, 2024, DoD SkillBridge will transition to structured application enrollment periods. The Fall Enrollment Period will run from October 1 to December 1, and the Spring Enrollment will be available from February 1 to April 1.