JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Since its inception in 2016, the Joint Base San Antonio SkillBridge/Career Skills Program has provided a savings of nearly $1 million by helping over 1,400 transitioning service members with job training and new career opportunities as they leave the military.
The nearly $1 million in savings - $990,000 - is for unemployment compensation, which would have been paid out to transitioning service members if they had not been able to be readily employed after their military service ended, said Jose Ontiveros, JBSA Transition and Workforce Alliance SkillBridge/Career Skills Program manager.
The SkillBridge/Career Skills Program is a Department of Defense initiative that allows transitioning service members to gain skills in a civilian work setting through training, apprenticeships, internships, or a credential program during their final 180 days of military service.
According to statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Ontiveros said the average unemployment compensation for a transitioning service member who does not find a job after leaving the military is $10,000.
Ontiveros said the $990,000 JBSA has saved so far in unemployment compensation during its duration in the program covers the 18-24 age group that transitions out of the military early. With approximately 99 transitioning service members ages 18-24 within JBSA having gone through the SkillBridge/Career Skills Program since 2016, each saving the military $10,000 in unemployment compensation, the $990,000 mark in savings has been reached.
“The math is pretty simple,” Ontiveros said. “For every 18-24-year-old we put into the program, if we’re able to help them get through successfully in landing a job and they are now employed by another company, that is essentially $10,000 in unemployment that we have saved.”
With a few more transitioning service members expected to complete their time soon in the SkillBridge/Career Skills Program, Ontiveros is hoping the program will mark $1 million in unemployment compensation savings in October.
He said those savings from unemployment compensation are put back into each branch’s operational budgets on items that benefit service members and their units, including food, equipment, accessories and clothing.
“Whatever units need money for to make their mission successful,” Ontiveros said.
Besides providing financial savings, Ontiveros said the SkillBridge/Career Skills Program has made a difference in the lives of many transitioning service members, who have been able to land jobs after their service has ended. During the program’s five-year duration at JBSA, a total of 1,425 active-duty members have received training, apprenticeships, internships, or gone through a credential program with a local company, organization or employer or have received a job offer.
The program has grown steadily over the last five years. In 2016, the JBSA SkillBridge/Career Skills Program helped 10 transitioning service members. This year, the program has provided training and job opportunities for 491 transitioning service members.
Ontiveros said the program has a 99 percent completion rate and most of the transitioning service members who go through the program receive a job offer after completing their training, apprenticeship, internship or going through a credential program that helps them gain skills in the civilian career field they are going into.
“Over the life of this program from 2016, we have a 97 percent job offer rate,” Ontiveros said. “Out of those 97 percent who get a job offer, 91 percent accept them.”
Ontiveros said the JBSA SkillBridge/Career Skills Program continues to grow and expand through the efforts of the JBSA Transition and Workforce Alliance, a partnership between the installation and local government, non-governmental agencies, veteran and non-profit service organizations which provide career opportunities for transitioning service members, military spouses and military family members through several programs.
In addition, the JBSA SkillBridge/Career Skills Program was able to expand its presence and resources with the addition of three program coordinators each at JBSA- Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph in 2020. This has allowed the program to reach out to more companies and organizations at job fairs within JBSA and the San Antonio community that are interested in employing transitioning service members.
Karen Lawhorne, JBSA Transition and Workforce Alliance SkillBridge/Career Skills Program coordinator at JBSA-Randolph, said she and the rest of the program staff members get satisfaction out of helping transitioning service members meet their career goals.
“At the end of the day, it’s like I got them close to where they wanted to be,” Lawhorne said. “Just this morning, I connected a service member with his dream SkillBridge (job), and just to hear his excitement, it’s just awesome. It’s very rewarding and as a team, we really work together.”
For more information on the JBSA SkillBridge/Career Skills Program, contact them at usaf.jbsa.502-abw.mbx.career-skills-program@mail.mil or at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, 210-488-4119; at JBSA-Lackland, 210-563-8223; and at JBSA-Randolph, 210-727-1281.