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Transitional Internship Opportunities for U.S. Service Members

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Transitioning from Service?

WorkEx provides a number of resources to streamline your transition out of the U.S. Armed Forces.

What is WorkEx?

WorkEx is a strategic partnership between the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and PacMtn Workforce Development Council.

The WorkEx program acts as the approving authority for a customized, individual internship and is an approved Career Skills (CSP)/DoD SkillBridge program based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State.

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How does it work?

The WorkEx program acts as the approving authority for a customized, individual internship and is an approved Career Skills (CSP)/DoD SkillBridge program based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State.

For Service Members

Transitioning from military service is difficult, but WorkEx has the partnerships you need to succeed during this process.

The WorkEx program allows eligible active duty transitioning service members and military spouses (as funding is available) to participate in a 4-12 week (up to 120 days with chain of command approval) hands-on work based learning opportunity with a  host employer (local or remote) to bridge the gap in skills and experience needed to land a full-time career opportunity within the civilian workforce.

How does it work?

Employer Partners submit a training plan and WorkEx Host Employer Agreement for each intern to ensure resources are available for mentorship and training for the duration of the internship.

For Businesses

Hiring a transitioning service member through an internship allows you to find skilled, valuable employees to help your business succeed.

The WorkEx program allows eligible active duty transitioning service members and military spouses (as funding is available) to participate in a 4-12 week (up to 120 days with chain of command approval) hands-on work based learning opportunity with a  host employer (local or remote) to bridge the gap in skills and experience needed to land a full-time career opportunity within the civilian workforce.

Frequently Asked

If the internship is beyond the 50 mile radius to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA please refer identified candidates to contact our team at  [email protected]

  • To become a WorkEx Employer Partner, you will submit an application and sign a business agreement in order to ensure transparency of expectations as an Employer Partner
  • Employer Partners submit a training plan and WorkEx Host Employer Agreement for each intern to ensure resources are available for mentorship and training for the duration of the internship
  • WorkEx does require that your company offers, at a minimum, an informational interview to the candidate at the completion of the internship
  • If the internship is within 50 miles of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA please refer identified candidates to the JBLM
  • Career Skills Briefing held Mondays at 12 noon at Hawk Career Center

  • You develop the internship, customizing the training and mentorship according to the role you may be able to hire for
  • You select the WorkEx intern based on your competitive process and get to know them within your company’s work environment
  • The intern is paid by the military during the internship period, so there is no risk, liability, or payroll cost
  • You are under no obligation to hire the intern, rather this is a work experience that will enhance the intern’s ability to
  • transition into employment after leaving the military
  • WorkEx program does not charge a fee to facilitate the approval of your internship for the service member

Yes, it is possible. You will need to be cleared by your unit to travel and work in a foreign country. Also, you will be require to obtain a memorandum from your S2 (Intelligence Officer) stating “SM has been briefed on the risk potential in the country as well as working with a foreign business and there is no issue with the candidate participating.”

The WorkEx team is an approving authority for customized, individual internships and not only processes the required documentation for the candidate, but vets the company and the internship opportunity. There are many steps and documents required in the process for both the candidate and the business to protect both entities. Our process is the fastest and most streamlined, seen as the best practice in military transition internships for small and medium sized organizations within the Pacific Northwest. You may choose to pursue an internship through the CSP/DoD SkillBridge office at your local base. There are other programs such as the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship, which is a cohort- based, national program and HireMilitary which focuses on nationwide internships with larger corporations.

Our team is located near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. Remote candidates must work diligently to develop their opportunity and complete the required documentation within the correct time frame (within the last 180 days of service.) If steps are not properly followed, the back and forth of email and phone communication can delay processing. For location outside of our region an O-6 is required to approve your Memo of Permission, rather than the O-5 that is required locally.

The WorkEx program provides service members and military spouses the ability to acquire employment skills, knowledge, and/or abilities to assist service members with job opportunities in the civilian sector. Eligible host employers must offer a high probability of post- service employment (minimum $15/hour, full-time, and non-commission based opportunities) with the provider or other employers in a field related to the opportunity. Participants are not entitled to a job at the conclusion of the WorkEx internship with that specific industry partner or employer simply by virtue of completing the internship, but are guaranteed, at minimum, an informational interview.

Yes, a targeted resume is a CSP and WorkEx program requirement for all WorkEx participants. If you do not currently have a targeted resume and would like additional support in creating one, please register for a targeted resumé class in person or virtually to receive guidance and support as you create your targeted resume.

Once you have attended the CSP briefing, completed the WorkEx orientation, determined WorkEx eligibility, and are within 6-9 months (no later than 3 months) of your last day in service (ETS/MED Board/retirement date), please reach out to the WorkEx team via: https://workexmilitary.org with your targeted resume attached to request an intake appointment

No. Per military regulation, accepting outside sources of income through employment is generally considered a conflict of interest. During the duration of the internship, the sole source of income and benefits will be provided by the military, not the host employer. On the other hand, military spouses are paid through WorkEx program funding.

The WorkEx program does not assign internships. Candidates are responsible for developing their own opportunity. The program has worked with many businesses on past internships, and many are willing to accept future interns, but this depends on open roles. Previous candidates were most successful when they reached out to companies directly about open roles and leveraged WorkEx as an opportunity to frontload training during their last 180 days of service. Internships may include roles such as: project management, human resources, mechanic, engineer, marketing, operations management, healthcare administration, IT, analyst, software engineering, pilot, public safety, emergency/risk management, and more.