Letter to the Hon. Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary Department of Homeland Security, to Troy Miller, US Customs and Border Protection - Tester Pushes Department of Homeland Security to Expand Workforce Opportunities for Transitioning Service Members
Letter
Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Mr. Miller:
I write to you today to urge you to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in expanded
participation in the Department of Defense's (DOD) SkillBridge program. In addition to the important opportunities it would provide for transitioning servicemembers, I believe that the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in particular would benefit from this program.
SkillBridge is a program that enables transitioning servicemembers to gain valuable work
experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of their service. This program provides participating agencies with access to the finest work force in America, then men and women of our armed forces, and ensures that those servicemembers have a meaningful career even before they leave the service. Each year, over 200,000 servicemembers transition out of the military and SkillBridge connects them with incredible training opportunities and real-world job experiences.
Currently, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is successfully utilizing the Skillbridge
program under a signed DHS Memorandum of Understanding with DOD. This MOU could be applied to many agencies overseen by DHS, but CBP is uniquely suited to offer meaningful employment to transitioning veterans, and the savings associated with training new employees who are still on DOD payroll would be an added benefit. There are currently thousands of troops on the southwest border. This should not be an enduring DOD mission. Skillbridge can help CBP recruit the workforce in needs to carry out this mission while providing a valuable transition opportunity for our nation's servicemembers.
I urge you to do everything in your power to extend Skillbridge opportunities at DHS in order to
grow your workforce and facilitate servicemember transition. Thank you in advance for your attention to this request. I stand ready to work with you to strengthen your workforce.
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