Department of Defense Archives

SkillBridge Program-U.S. Navy-Trevor Bland-Water Authority SkillBridge Program intern-intern

Navy Vet Joins Water Authority as SkillBridge Program Intern

September 25, 2023/in Features, Jobs and Training /by Andrea Mora

The San Diego County Water Authority’s new SkillBridge Program intern came ashore in the perfect location. Of all the adventures Trevor Bland’s military service has taken him on, he regards San Diego as his favorite. It is here where he enjoys physical fitness, trips to the beach and the city’s Mexican food scene.

Luckily, when Bland joined the Department of Defense SkillBridge program he didn’t have to go far.

Bland was assigned as a human resources analyst intern with the Water Authority in August after five years of Naval service. Drawing from his experience as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer, he says, gave him the skills to address personnel issues in the civilian workforce.

Navy experience benefits SkillBridge Program intern

“My time in the Navy taught me how to stay calm, think clearly and problem solve in high pressure situations,” Bland said. “This experience with problem mitigation and solutions prepared me for the many roles in the human resources department.”

After receiving his B.A. in Psychology from Suffolk University in 2019, Bland commissioned in the U.S. Navy. Inspired by his father’s service of more than 30 years, he says the path to service always felt natural.

Bland began his first naval tour aboard the USS Dewey in San Diego, where he served as a Repair Officer and Boarding Officer.

In August of 2021 when the USS Dewey’s homeport was transferred nearly 6,000 miles away to Yokosuka, Japan, Bland followed.

During this 12-month stay in the South China Sea, Bland led a team of 10 specially trained sailors in counter-piracy missions that tackled smuggling and theft.

Bland finished his military career in late 2022 with his second and final tour as the Auxiliaries Officer and Assistant Chief Engineer on board the USS Harpers Ferry.

Trevor Bland-SkillBridge Program-U.S. Navy-water jobs-Water Authority

“My time in the Navy taught me how to stay calm, think clearly and problem solve in high pressure situations,” Trevor Bland said. “This experience with problem mitigation and solutions prepared me for the many roles in the human resources department.” Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

SkillBridge Program intern gains new experience

Now at the Water Authority, Bland’s role includes promoting job openings, ensuring consistency among various HR projects and assisting other outgoing military personnel with their career changes.

Transitioning from active duty to civilian life can be intimidating, says Bland. Without a clear vision for one’s career path and daily life, many members leave the service fearful for the future.

“For the first time in however many years, the service member is alone in ensuring everything from their medical insurance to financial stability is in order, when prior to that, those benefits were awarded to them,” Bland said.

It’s at this pivot point where SkillBridge makes the difference. SkillBridge offers service members a chance to gain new experience and skills in the civilian workforce before they leave the military.

Upon joining the four-month program, members receive the same military benefits and pay they received on active duty while working full-time in a civilian field of their choice.

“When you’re in SkillBridge, you still have the security of your military career while experimenting with different jobs,” Bland said.

New perspectives for employers

Participation in the program not only helps service members, but it’s rewarding for employers as well. Employers gain early access to the new perspectives, diverse and dedicated skills that SkillBridge interns bring from years in the military.

“Interns like Trevor are a great addition to our department because they bring skills and a proven work ethic from the military that would otherwise be untapped if not for SkillBridge,” said Gretchen Spaniol, Water Authority acting director of human resources.

As the first public agency in California to partake in the Department of Defense’s Skillbridge Program, the Water Authority has led the way in integrating former military personnel into the water industry. Since joining the program in 2020, the Water Authority has welcomed eight military interns.

For the interns, the payoff is clear. “The cooperation and support provided by the Water Authority make this life change a lot less scary,” Bland said.

As the home to both Navy and Marine Corps families, San Diego has more than 110,000 active-duty personnel, with military families constituting nearly 8% of the county’s population. Of the more than 30,000 service members departing from the military each year in California, over half reside in the San Diego region.

The Water Authority’s successful participation in SkillBridge highlights the agency’s commitment to military personnel and families.

SkillBridge Interns Explore Career Opportunities After Military Service

March 29, 2022/in Features, Jobs and Training /by Mike Leeby Noah Harrel

The San Diego County Water Authority is providing training opportunities to military veterans looking for new careers in public service as part of the SkillBridge Program. The program is helping military veterans transition to career-track training opportunities, including work in the water and wastewater industry.

Transitioning out of the military from a foreign county and coming back to the states is not an easy task, said Ismael Hernandez. In the case of Hernandez, now finishing his service in the Marine Corps, this involved finding new connections upon returning, leaving behind the military mindset of consistency in day-to-day life and figuring out his future career.

Ismael Hernandez is interning at the San Diego County Water Authority as part of the Skillbridge Program. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

“I was lucky enough to have SkillBridge, but for other [military] members it’s not as easy,” Hernandez said.

The Water Authority is the first public agency in California to participate in the U.S. Department of Defense SkillBridge Program, which connects transitioning military service members to career-track job training opportunities. Skillbridge interns continue to be paid their military salary and benefits. The program was developed by the federal government to provide experience and future career opportunities to military members as they transition to civilian life.

Skillbridge Program a “win-win” for service members and employers

Since joining the federal program in June 2020, the Water Authority has had four SkillBridge interns working in various departments. The program is a win-win for both employers and the transitioning military member – the military servicemember can work fulltime in a participating agency for the last 180 days of their active duty gaining valuable civilian work experience, and the employer gains early access to the extensive experience, skills, and unmatched work ethos service members bring to the workforce, all at no cost.

Hernandez heard about the program from a few of his fellow service members who saw the work he was doing and recommended he look into the program to prepare himself for the future.

“To set yourself up right after the military is very beneficial because the trend for many military members is to not get help at all or have bad living situations and I didn’t want that for myself,” said Hernandez.

Valuable experience for future career

Shengliang “Justin” Jin, is also a SkillBridge intern finishing his contract with the Navy. Like Hernandez, he is also working to prepare himself for his future after he leaves military service. SkillBridge is providing him the opportunity to gain experience in the career he wants to pursue.

Shengliang “Justin” Jin is an intern with in the San Diego County Water Authority Finance Department. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Interning in the finance department while finishing his associates degree was Jin’s first step in getting his foot in the door. After spending some time in budgeting, Jin will move into the accounting division at the Water Authority. The move is important to Jin because he wants to add a wide breadth of experience to his resume while pursuing his college education.

“I will be finished with my associates by the end of this year and plan on getting into a university by next fall,” said Jin.

Hands-on work for military vet

Currently, Hernandez is gaining experience in heavy equipment operations, vegetation management, and other duties related to construction. Hernandez said his intern experience in construction or electrical work is exactly what he hopes to be doing in the future.

“I’m more of a hands-on person and I want to learn these trades,” said Hernandez.

The hands-on work Hernandez has done so far has included working on pipelines, grading roads, as well as laying down cement and wires. While it’s different from the rigid schedule of the same day-to-day tasks Hernandez experienced in the military, he sees this as a learning experience and opportunity for his professional growth.

Hernandez said his goal is to turn his SkillBridge internship into a job and career at the Water Authority.

“If military members believe that they can do it, that they can make something happen, they make it happen,” Hernandez said. “It’s challenging, but at the end of the day you have to keep pushing through and have that mindset and you’ll make it happen.”

Water and wastewater industry job opportunities

The opportunities for both transitioning servicemembers and local water agencies are significant. More than 30,000 service members separate from the military each year in California, and more than half are transitioning out of active duty in the San Diego region.

Roughly half of the current water industry workforce in the San Diego region will be eligible to retire in the next 15 years – and approximately 1,400 water and wastewater industry jobs are expected to open in the region in the next five years.

Military Sees Surge in Sites With ‘Forever Chemical’ Contamination

March 16, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Hill (Washington)by Rebecca Beitsch

The military now has at least 651 sites that have been contaminated with cancer-linked “forever chemicals,” a more than 50 percent jump from its last tally.

The information was released Friday in a report from the Department of Defense (DOD), part of a task force designed to help the military remove a class of chemicals known as PFAS from the water supply near numerous military bases.

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Researchers Blast ‘Forever Chemicals” into Oblivion With Plasma

February 26, 2020/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Grist by Emily Pontecorvo

Christopher Sales is an environmental microbiologist, and until recently, his world was about harnessing the power of microorganisms to break down contaminants in the environment. But a resilient intruder that does not succumb to the same old tricks has shaken up the remediation community and led Sales to look outside of his field for a solution. It’s a chemical that’s been found in water, soil, and food all over the planet: PFAS.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of chemical compounds used in carpet, waterproof clothing, nonstick pans, and many other common products, that have gone unregulated and been dumped into the environment for decades.