CyberNINES knows the value of veterans. Each year, approximately 200,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces, stationed in over 140 military installations in the U.S. and overseas, will leave active duty and re-enter the civilian workforce or pursue higher education. The DOD SkillBridge program provides outgoing service members with work experience to enhance their civilian careers. Therefore, it only makes sense for us, as a CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO), to partner with DOD SkillBridge to attract new skilled talent.
How SkillBridge Works
SkillBridge is an internship program for service members who are transitioning into the private sector. Members from every branch of the service can go to the DOD SkillBridge website, search for opportunities in areas they’re interested in, and apply for internships with authorized partner companies comprising a vast array of industries. Interns continue to receive their military compensation and benefits, while the host companies provide valuable skills and experience toward the interns’ future employment. Many interns are even offered full-time positions at their host companies.
“The DOD SkillBridge program offers internships during their final months of service and gives these skilled veterans the opportunity to work with forward-thinking companies like CyberNINES,” said CyberNINES CEO and Captain (RET-U.S. Navy) Scott Singer. “It’s a real win-win: transitioning service members gain valuable work experience, while our company can tap into an unmatched talent pool at no cost and no risk.”.
CyberNINES’s Partnership Experience
CyberNINES began the process of becoming a SkillBridge partner during the summer of 2023. After an extensive application process proving our authenticity, we were approved as an industry partner in September. We then began posting opportunities, fielding queries and vetting applicants through interviews to ensure a strong interest in our company and a sense of shared mission.
The benefits of SkillBridge extend beyond the program’s immediate participants. Our clients gain talented and diligent new partners who have worked under the purview of the DoD itself. The defense industrial base (DIB) can profit from recruiting new team members who already understand the criticality of cybersecurity and the DIB’s role in helping to keep our service men and women safer.
“Finding qualified team members with suitable backgrounds can be extremely challenging for a C3PAO,” said James Ahern, Director of Quality, Chief Information Security Officer. “SkillBridge provides our team with a means to introduce those leaving the U.S. Armed Forces service to Cyber Auditing and Consulting, and potentially offer them a full-time position. CyberNINES, in turn, benefits from the unique backgrounds of each individual, the common ground they share with our broad customer base, and their familiarity with military service. Our SkillBridge analysts play a big role in the delivery of solutions to our customers.”
While the DOD SkillBridge vetting process is intensive, taking roughly a year from our approval as a partner until the onboarding of our first set of interns, it has been time well spent. We brought in two new team members who completed their internships with CyberNINES. They both were highly successful as DOD SkillBridge interns and exemplify the U.S. Armed Forces “can do” attitude.
Sashona Walters, a former diesel mechanic and Navy E-5, demonstrated a notable aptitude for policies and procedures. “I applied for the SkillBridge program because I wanted a hands-on opportunity to transition into cybersecurity after my time in the Navy,” she said. “The program allowed me to gain real-world experience working with compliance and security frameworks like NIST 800-171, helping me apply my military background in a new environment. CyberNINES is a great place to grow my skills, and I'm excited to continue developing in this field while contributing to the team.”
Jared Rummell, a Senior Airman in the Air Force, came to CyberNINES with strong technical skills and has already begun working with clients. “SkillBridge gave me the chance to translate my military skills into a civilian career,” he said. “The hands-on experience, mentorship, and team environment here at CyberNINES made the transition smoother than I ever expected. It wasn’t just an internship—it was a launchpad for my next chapter.”
Into the Future
Having successfully brought our first two SkillBridge interns on board as full-time team members, CyberNINES is excited to continue the process. Our internships last 90 to 120 days and follow a general syllabus for each role. As CyberNINES is a fully virtual company, we offer the additional flexibility so our interns can work from anywhere, needing only a high-speed internet connection.
Cybersecurity interns who complete the program are in a good position to take the CMMC Registered Practitioner (RP) exam, and for those who come on board full time, CyberNINES will pay for their ongoing training and CMMC certification, provided they remain with the company for at least one year from their certification.
As we move forward, the most important aspect of our DOD SkillBridge partnership is working together with talented people to advance our collective mission of ensuring our national security—a mission for which veterans are uniquely qualified.
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