Signal Soldiers in the 1st Infantry Division can get experience performing Information Technology
support through an internship program known as Skills Enhancement Training, formally known as Troops to Tech. Upon completion of the internship, Soldiers are better qualified to enter the IT profession when they transition out of the military.
According to David Widner, an IT supervisor at the Fort Riley Network Enterprise Center, the internship program is the first of its kind and is so successful other posts in the U.S. have inquired about implementing it outside of Fort Riley.
Erik Tomaschow, former signal Soldier at Fort Riley, said his internship experience was invaluable, and the networking aspect of meeting people within the technology field was helpful to get a job when he started planning to separate from the military.
Three months after leaving the military, Tomaschow is in the Army Reserve and will begin a new journey as a civilian employee at Fort Riley doing IT work for Irwin Army Community Hospital.
Tomaschow said his new job would directly resemble his internship experience from SET, or Troops
to Tech.
"That was the most important part of my IT experience," Tomaschow said.
The program offers an 8-week internship with the Network Enterprise Center in various IT areas including Help Desk, Desktop Support, Server and Networks. Soldiers work side-by-work side-by-side with NEC civilian employees to gain a greater understanding of IT requirements, according to
Widner.
Widner said SET is especially important when the Soldier is released into the fieldand has to repair equipment on his or her own. More than 40 Soldiers have been through the program, according to Widner.
"It helps bridge a partnership between civilian employees and Soldiers," Widner said.
The program is designed to fit Soldiers into jobs within the IT career field, and is also designed to help Soldiers prepare for life after the military even when they haven't thought about it yet, according to Widner.
The program began in 2009 and is now offered four times a year, once per quarter.
Tomaschow said the hands-on experience was his favorite part of the internship. Soldiers learn everything from writing down the steps while fixing a program to creating an operating system.
He added the leadership in the program was especially helpful to him because they took the time to make sure signal Soldiers understand how to do the work instead of leaving them on their own.
"They improved my attitude about becoming good at something," Tomaschow said.
According to David Widner, an IT supervisor at the Fort Riley Network Enterprise Center, the Skills Enhancement Training program, formally known as Troops to Tech, is the first of its kind.
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