DoD SkillBridge is one of the most cost-effective ways to hire military talent: you get a months-long working interview with a motivated service member, and the Department of Defense keeps paying their salary the entire time.
What SkillBridge is
SkillBridge is a Department of Defense authorization that allows service members to spend up to their final 180 days of service in civilian training with an approved employer. The member keeps their military pay and benefits; the employer provides real, meaningful work and training. It is a win on both sides: the service member gains civilian experience, and the employer evaluates a candidate with no payroll cost. If the job you offer at the end of the program starts before their separation date, they will join you while still on active duty, on terminal leave. Our guide to starting a civilian job on terminal leave covers start dates and paperwork.
As of September 2026, the official SkillBridge site, which now uses the Department of War name, reports about 6,150 provider organizations and about 11,800 position announcements. DoD puts the number of service members leaving active duty at about 200,000 a year, and GAO reported that about 12,000 took part in SkillBridge in the first half of fiscal year 2024. With that many listings, be specific about the role, the training and the job waiting at the end.
Why employers use it
Three reasons stand out. First, cost: you are not paying the participant's salary during the program. Second, risk: it works like an extended working interview, so you see performance before you commit to a hire. Third, quality: SkillBridge candidates are disciplined, security-minded, and used to learning fast under real accountability.
How to become a host
At a high level: apply to the DoD SkillBridge program, define the roles and a training plan that offers genuine skill development, and connect with transitioning service members whose separation timeline fits your opening. DoD requires hosts to have been in business for at least three years, to take a minimum number of participants a year based on company size, and to offer jobs to at least 75% of those who complete the program. Federal, state and local government agencies are exempt from the three-year rule and the 75% offer rule.
Timing matters. As of September 2026, DoD accepts applications from new hosts only during two enrollment windows each year: 1 October to 1 December and 1 February to 1 April. Renewals from existing hosts are processed year-round. Before you apply, complete the SkillBridge Employer Provider Ethics Brief, a mandatory self-paced online course, and save the completion certificate, because it must be submitted with your application. Unless you are a government agency, the application also needs a record from your Secretary of State website showing that the business is in good standing and was formed at least three years ago. If the application is approved, you sign a memorandum of understanding with DoD. You then submit each program, with its training plan and position announcement, in the SkillBridge provider portal, and DoD approves them before they are listed on skillbridge.mil. Confirm current program requirements on the official SkillBridge page for employers before you build your plan.
After the program, a participant you hire as a veteran into a role that still involves structured training may be able to use GI Bill on-the-job training benefits, and Minnesota adds state-paid GI Bill job placement credits for approved employers. Training the participant already completed with you counts as prior training, which shortens the approved program, and a participant already fully qualified for the job cannot be enrolled. See GI Bill on-the-job training for Minnesota employers.
How LockLeed helps
LockLeed is a veteran-owned firm that places veterans in direct hire roles. We do not host SkillBridge interns. If you want to host, you apply to DoD and run the program yourself, as described above. Where we help is the permanent hire. If you have a full-time role to fill, submit a requisition and we will bring you a vetted shortlist of veteran candidates, whether or not you also host SkillBridge participants.