There’s no denying the invaluable skills to be gained through military service. The Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits where many of our nation’s Veterans hold leadership roles are testament to that fact. But translating those skills to the civilian workforce can be a struggle.
To address that challenge, the Department of Defense created the SkillBridge program, which offers transitioning service members the opportunity to gain civilian work experience through industry-specific training, internships, and apprenticeships during their final 180 days of service. Launched in 2011, the program now encompasses over 3,000 employers who serve as SkillBridge partners, including ServiceSource.
For former U.S. Army Sergeant Jessica Cumbie, ServiceSource was key in charting a smooth transition to civilian life through the SkillBridge program. After six years serving her country – including the last three stationed in Germany as an intelligence analyst and the Targeting Noncommissioned Officer in Charge for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, assessing aerial and ballistic threats for all of Europe, Africa, and Isreal – she was ready to return to civilian life. With her husband and extended family members living in the St. Louis area, she began the search for a position that would be a good fit for her skills and experience.
But arranging a SkillBridge opportunity directly with an employer proved difficult. By chance, Cumbie’s husband, Ethan – also a service member – helped connect her with U.S. Air Force veteran Melissa Yates, the Warrior Bridge Services program manager at ServiceSource affiliate Employment Source.
“Leaving the military can feel a lot like reinventing yourself,” Cumbie says. “Obtaining a SkillBridge internship seemed impossible until I met Melissa, and it never would have happened without my husband.”
The two women connected in October 2024 and together developed a program specific to Cumbie’s training and talents. In February of 2025, she returned to the U.S. from her post in Germany and began an internship in facilities management on the ServiceSource Base Operating Support Contract (BOSC) in St. Louis.
While the role is completely different than the one Cumbie filled in the Army, the skills – communication, critical thinking, analytical reasoning – were very transferable. In June, ServiceSource hired Cumbie as the facilities manager for the contract, with responsibilities that include managing a newly opened facility.
Cumbie says Yates went out of her way to help, opening doors that had seemed impenetrable and streamlining the process. A tailored online training plan helped her prepare in advance for the hands-on portion of the internship.
Now working for ServiceSource, Cumbie says her new workplace has quickly begun to feel like home. “The ServiceSource mission of serving others resonates with me after my years of military service,” she says. Working with other veterans at ServiceSource reinforces that ethos.
Cumbie’s supervisor Richard Chase, who serves as director of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing on the ServiceSource BOSC contract, has nothing but praise for the SkillBridge Program.
“People who serve in our military develop important skillsets,” he says. “While the way to apply them to civilian roles may not seem obvious, it’s not fair to tell people who have served our country that they need to go to the back of the line to find a job when they retire their uniform.”
As for Cumbie, Chase calls her “An absolute success story. I see a big future here for Jessica.”
To learn more about SkillBridge and other services for Veterans, contact Warrior Bridge Services Program Manager Melissa Yates at melissa.yates@employmentsource.org.