EXIM partners with Defense Department to give service members job experience

Press release

WASHINGTON - Export-Import Bank of the United States President and Chairman Kimberly A. Reed announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Defense Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness that launches an EXIM-DoD SkillBridge Program partnership.

The partnership will give current U.S. military service members new potential pathways to civilian employment.

The SkillBridge Program is an opportunity for military service members to gain valuable civilian work experience - including at federal agencies such as EXIM - through specific training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of military service prior to separation. The program connects military service members with job experiences that are designed to facilitate military service members' transition to civilian careers upon separation from their military service.

"Our country owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the U.S. military service members and their families who sacrifice so much to keep America strong," Reed said. "As we celebrate Veterans Day, I can think of no better time for this MOU. At EXIM, we support veterans and diverse veteran-owned small business exporters that seek to compete and win in the global marketplace. As military service members prepare to leave active duty, they should know that EXIM - through the Department of Defense's exceptional SkillBridge Program - welcomes their potential contributions to our agency's mission which also will broaden their own horizons. I want to thank the teams at the Department of Defense and at EXIM, including Office of Board Authorized Finance Senior Vice President David Sena, for their efforts in support of this MOU."

Military service members interested in participating in the program or who have questions are encouraged to contact EXIM Senior Human Capital Advisor Dana Pinkney. Additional details can be found on DoD's SkillBridge website at https://dodskillbridge.usalearning.gov, and EXIM can work with one of DoD's local installation support offices to spread the word about opportunities at EXIM. Under the MOU, DoD will be responsible for all pay and benefits for the military service member during their period of participation in the program.

EXIM is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports American jobs by providing competitive and necessary export credit to support sales of U.S. goods and services to international buyers. A robust EXIM can level the global playing field for U.S. exporters when they compete against foreign companies that receive support from their governments. EXIM also contributes to U.S. economic growth by helping to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. In recent years, approximately 90 percent of the total number of the agency's authorizations has directly supported small businesses. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt.

For more information about EXIM, people can visit http://www.exim.gov .