Page 1 GAO-24-107352 SkillBridge Program
The Department of Defense (DOD) offers the SkillBridge program to provide
industry training to service members who are transitioning out of their military
career to civilian life.
The SkillBridge program allows service members of any
rank, enlisted or officer, to participate in civilian job and employment training
starting up to 180 days before they separate from military service and transition
to the civilian workforce.
Such training can include job training, employment skills
training, apprenticeships, and internships.
Around 200,000 service members transition from military service to civilian life
each year. In fiscal year 2022, the SkillBridge program reported that over 22,500
service members either enrolled in or completed a SkillBridge program. As of
June 2024, the SkillBridge program offered 7,959 opportunities through 4,867
industry partners.
DOD has reported that to participate in the SkillBridge program, a service
member must have completed appropriate parts of the Transition Assistance
Program (TAP) as directed by their military service and have 180 days of service
or fewer remaining prior to their discharge. TAP is a mandatory program for
separating service members that provides career readiness assistance and
information on veterans’ benefits, among other things.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 included provisions
for us to review the use of the SkillBridge program by members of the Armed
Forces (hereafter referred to collectively as military services and includes the Air
Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force, and the Coast Guard), including
how the Secretary of Defense determines eligibility of service members to
participate in the program; characteristics of personnel participating in the
program; and the incorporation of relevant federal ethics rules regarding
internships. (Pub. L. No. 118-31, § 572(b) (2023).)
• The SkillBridge program is a voluntary transition program available to service
members. Participation in the program is not guaranteed through the
application process, is dependent on mission readiness, and is at the
discretion of the service member’s commanding officer. According to data
provided by the military services, almost 12,000 service members across
DOD and the Coast Guard participated in the SkillBridge program during the
first two quarters of fiscal year 2024.
• The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 included
provisions for us to specifically report on SkillBridge program participant data,
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Transition to Civilian Life: Better Collection
and Analysis of Military Service Data Needed
to Improve
Oversight of the SkillBridge
-24-107352
Q&A Report to Congressional Committees
22, 2024
