The University of Iowa is making a concerted effort to provide military service members with potential job opportunities as they transition out of the service through its partnership with SkillBridge.

SkillBridge is a federal program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to help military members gain civilian work experience during their last six months of service. Through the program, DOD pays the service member's salary during their industry training, apprenticeship, or internship at a participating workplace.

"The SkillBridge program offers a tremendous opportunity for Veterans transitioning from active duty service to a civilian career," says Matt Miller, director of student support services for Iowa Veteran Education, Transition, and Support (IVETS). "Transition from military service to civilian life is often a difficult process for many military service members. This program allows them to ease into the transition and to do some valuable career exploration."

The UI is home to more than 2,200 Veterans, current service members, military spouses, and children.

Adam Potter, a retired Army Veteran and senior human resources specialist in talent acquisition, recently solidified UI as a SkillBridge partner.

"Actively recruiting service members and Veterans can open a whole new pathway for us to help fill positions of need across campus," Potter says. "Coming from a military background, I have a lot of knowledge in this area and have tried to take advantage of that by bringing on programs like SkillBridge."

To participate in the program, UI departments should identify positions they believe are a good fit for SkillBridge and develop training programs for the service members(s) to follow once they're on campus.

"I'd love to see more departments participate in the program," Potter says. "We're actively working to identify roles across campus that would be a good fit for SkillBridge."

Potter was also instrumental in forming a new employee resource group on campus to support Veterans and military service members.