'Truly a great resource': Onslow County taking advantage of program for transitioning military

With thousands of service members leaving the military out of Onslow County bases each year, a recently-introduced program could keep many of them local and employed.

While Onslow County may be lacking in some areas related to economic development, such as having no interstate or railroad, it does have one asset most places don't -- the labor pipeline that is transitioning service members.

Jacksonville-Onslow Economic Development Executive Director Mark Sutherland said upwards of 50% of transitioning service members say they'd stay local if they could find a good job.

Because of this, the Skillbridge program was born by the U.S. Department of Defense.

"It allows the local employers to market their opportunities directly to service members, not just in Camp Lejeune, but all over the world, from all branches of service, all ages," Sutherland said. "Whether they're first-termers, they're retirees, officers, enlisted, doesn't matter."

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Petty Officer Second Class Aaron Williams found out about the Skillbridge program from one of his friends who participated a few months back. When he decided it was the route he wanted to take, he and his friend got all of the paperwork to their commanding officer.

Williams said his biggest reason for participating in the program was to have a smooth transition from military life to civilian life, adding he thinks it has given him some insight not everyone transitioning out of the military gets.

"It will help me later on down the road," Williams said. "So far my experience has been a good one. It’s given me a chance to see a little bit how a civilian company operates and practice skills I haven’t had to use in a while."

Williams is working with Gulfstream Steel and Supply, one of only three industry partners a part of the program so far.

Sutherland said Gulfstream Steel has a well-recognized preference for service member veterans, so he knew this program would make sense for them to be a part of. Sutherland added service members can start in the program up to six months prior to getting out, as the DOD will pay their way to be an intern, making themselves employable for when they do get out.

"Service members get a smooth transition into a career field they're interested in, the defense department gets freedom from unemployed veteran claims which are massive, and the employer gets a prospective teammate," Sutherland said.

Gulfstream Steel Program Manager Bill Bennett said he spent 31 years in the U.S. Army, two of their three site leads are retired Soldiers and their head of government sales is a retired Army first sergeant.

He added that Gulfstream Steel owner Tom Rollins wanted to give something back to separating service members in the form of a skill set they could take with them after they left military service, hence why they jumped at the Skillbridge program.

"I have had applicants tell me that they wanted to participate in the program, but after being separated they wanted to go to another state," Bennett said. "My answer has always been, 'That is perfectly fine with us, we simply want to give you a skill that you can use wherever you go.' When we accept these people into our program, we would certainly like for them to stay in the area and possibly work for us, but staying in the local area is not a prerequisite."

Gulfstream Steel has partnered with Coastal Carolina Community College to provide the instruction at their facility and has also purchased six new welders and built a welding classroom on site.

All tools, materials, books and tuition are paid for by Gulfstream, so there is no cost to the service members participating.

Bennett said they have hired six from the program thus far, and they are some of their hardest and fastest learning workers.

"As separating members of the U.S. military, they bring a solid work ethic to the job," Bennett said. "You can train somebody to do a job, but if they lack the drive and determination to do a good job, you didn’t gain much by training them. These folks bring that drive with them every day."

He added transition can be difficult, and Gulfstream's first step for these service members is to have short-term and long-term goals, as well as a plan to reach those goals.

Bennett emphasized to service members that no matter what their MOS (military occupational specialties), they are highly competitive in the civilian job market because they've already demonstrated the ability to work under pressure, show a positive attitude, and be part of a team.

"I would also advise them to take advantage of all of the pre-separation classes, training and services that are provided to them by their service," Bennett said. "Do not rush through the separation process; there is lots of information available to you if you put the time in. Things like getting a resume together by somebody who knows what a resume should look like can go a long way towards reaching their employment goals."

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Williams' advice is also to have a plan, whether it be going straight to work or going back to school.

He said, though, he would definitely recommend Skillbridge, because even if you pick a program you don't want to stick with, it gives a better outlook on what's going on outside the military.

"Skillbridge truly is a great resource to have if you have the opportunity to utilize it," Williams said. "I think it has given me a clearer path forward and will help me get ahead once I separate from active duty."

Bennett's further advice for those separating is to work hard and capitalize on their strengths, be tenacious, and not give up working towards their goals.

He does encourage all businesses to participate in the Skillbridge program, despite whether those businesses can participate in training or an apprenticeship program. His message to them is they are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to staff their organization with people who have a skill set that most people in the civilian sector don't have.

"That's my message, if you're still saying 'I can't get any help,' and you're not tapped into that transitioning service member pipeline via the Skillbridge program, you're really expending a lot of energy and anxiety for no reason, because the pipeline is there," Sutherland said. "These are good workers."

Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Onslow County taking advantage of program for transitioning service members