By Wes O’Donnell
Managing Editor, Edge
Transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce can be one of the biggest events in a servicemembers life.
Fortunately, as a byproduct of the military, servicemembers have the stomach to take risks, the ability to deal easily with ambiguity, and composure under pressure. Along with the drive to be prepared, the vast majority of military members go on to have extremely rewarding civilian careers post-military.
Now, American Military University, the #1 provider of higher education to the U.S. military, is partnering with 50strong to give servicemembers even more of an edge.
50strong collaborates with military-ready employers and higher ed partners such as AMU to identify opportunities that support exposure to private-sector employers. They also offer virtual engagement opportunities that feature recruiters with strong opportunities combined with veteran-specific insight on navigating a post active-duty career search.
Translating military training, skills, and accomplishments into their civilian equivalents can sometimes be a daunting task. But servicemembers don’t need to shoulder the burden alone. Many military-ready employers have taken steps to identify and convert specific military MOS, AFSC, or ratings into civilian job duties.
What’s more, 50strong runs EmployerConnect for all military, veterans, and spouses with a heavy focus on military-affiliated students. EmployerConnect is a way for all military-affiliated students, veterans, service members, and MilSpouses interested in career prep to get exposure to military-ready employers. Best of all, whether or not a particular employer is a good fit, the repetitive exposure helps to provide priceless tools for servicemembers’ own job search.
It also runs 50strong SkillBridgeConnect, which specifically supports industry enablement of DoD SkillBridge, a Department of Defense (DoD) program which connects transitioning service members to non-military organizations that offer training or internships with a possibility of follow-on employment.
Eligibility Requirements for SkillBridge Participation
Before researching SkillBridge programs, it is important to note that not all servicemembers may qualify for inclusion. You may be eligible to participate in SkillBridge if you:
- Have less than 180 days of service remaining prior to your date of separation and have at least 180 continuous days of active service
- Agree that participation in SkillBridge can be terminated at any time by your military service if mission requirements dictate it
Given AMU’s large population of active-duty students, SkillBridgeConnect has been a particularly important collaboration.
Military-affiliated AMU students should absolutely take advantage of this new partnership. You’ve invested in your knowledge and prepared for life post-military. Finding the right employer can make your civilian life just as rewarding as your honorable service to the nation.
For more information, check out SkillBridge opportunities at 50strong.
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