Veterans Bring Service and Skill to TxDOT
November 8, 2024 – By Paul Stinson – AUSTIN —Veterans bring valuable experience for future employers and TxDOT is helping them start the next chapter in their life by providing hands-on experience.
After a military career spanning 10 deployments, four duty stations and more than two decades, U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant “DJ” Berryman is wrapping up 24 years of service to his country.
His final tour involves another setting that requires teamwork, work ethic and technical know-how: TxDOT.
Berryman, who is developing the next generation of Aircrew as the current military training superintendent at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, will hang up his uniform in December.
But before he does, he’ll be picking up valuable hands-on experience in traffic studies, design and signals at TxDOT’s Abilene District as the agency’s first-ever participant in SkillBridge, a nationwide program that helps veterans take their next career step before joining the civilian workforce.
“The SkillBridge program has provided an opportunity to leverage the skills I’ve developed in my military career while also exploring a new career field,” said Berryman, who began training with TxDOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems lead in June. “Although my background in aircraft electrical and environmental systems offers some familiarity with electrical work, the specifics of TxDOT’s operations are quite different.”
Those differences haven’t stopped him from having an almost immediate positive impact, said Abilene District Director of Transportation Operations Randee Shields. She brought on Berryman to intern as part of the team responsible for the repair of traffic signals.
“His technical skills in electrical systems have been vital and he has even provided electrical on-the-job training to some of our staff,” Shields said.
participants continue to receive their military compensation and benefits while industry partners provide the civilian training and work experience in the program which has helped more than 50,000 servicemembers make the transition since 2011.
SkillBridge is the newest tool used by TxDOT to seek out those with military experience who offer a vast range of transferable skills including a strong work ethic, attention to detail and adaptability — just some of the many military attributes valued by TxDOT, which currently employees more than 1,300 veterans.
Shields, who is also the spouse of a retired Marine, is all too familiar with the obstacles veterans face upon exiting the service, including the challenges of finding a civilian role that speaks to their potential and skill sets.
“I saw many [military] retirees who were once entrusted with millions of dollars in equipment, the welfare of hundreds of troops and oversaw national defense level programs have to settle into entry level jobs,” Shields said.
Shields said the program lasts up to 180 days, which makes it possible to evaluate talent for a potential fit beyond an entry level role. This allows candidates enough time in more specialized positions and gives them the opportunity to achieve fluency in how TxDOT operates.
SkillBridge approved TxDOT as an Industry Partner earlier in the year. This distinction marks the latest chapter in the agency’s history of valuing what servicemembers have to offer.
That includes Chief Administrative Officer Richard McMonagle. He said dedication to a mission and taking pride in serving the public made him feel right at home at TxDOT after a 25 year career with the Marine Corps.
“Although every day I use the planning, leadership, and decision-making skills that I learned in the Marine Corps, it is in preparing for [emergency] response operations where I really employ my operational experiences,” he said. “In hiring military veterans, TxDOT gets employees with leadership skills, who are self-disciplined, motivated and used to working in teams to overcome challenges.”
TxDOT’s effort to ensure that the agency and veterans alike can make the most of their potential is led by the Talent Acquisition Team. The team participates annually in 20 to 25 events statewide to seek out military talent and support its broader goal of achieving a workforce that is at least 10% veterans. TxDOT has delivered on that ambition with veterans accounting for an average of 13.6% new hires over the 2020-24 period.
