SkillBridge Regulatory Citation Sheet: FY27 Provider Requirements
Updated: 4 days ago
When I tell a Wisconsin business owner what SkillBridge requires, I want them to be able to check my work. This reference focuses on the FY27 provider application and MOU. Use the source links and section numbers below, then confirm service-specific requirements with the member’s command.
Updated September 30, 2026. This revision replaces the earlier branch-cap table and blanket rules with requirements supported by the FY27 written materials. The application and MOU govern different parts of the process; a briefing slide is a summary, not a substitute for either document.
Start with these sources
Build the program backward from the job
Identify hiring demand, roles, locations, supervisors, and the capabilities the business needs. Then build the training. That is VBS’s approach to program development, grounded in the MOU’s employment-capacity and training requirements.
Employment capacity. MOU §4.2.2 requires suitable, available full-time positions equal to or greater than the number of participating service members at any given time. Federal and local government agencies have separately worded expectations tied to applicable hiring authorities.
Employment outcomes. MOU §4.2.7 defines high probability as at least 75% of successful completers receiving a qualifying offer of immediate post-service suitable employment. An offer rate of 85% or higher is the KPI goal. These measure offers to successful completers—not actual hires, all program entrants, or retention. Federal, state, and municipal agencies are exempt from the 75% KPI and follow the section’s separate employment-consideration provisions.
This is a program-level commitment, not an unconditional job guarantee to every participant. Size the program around real employment opportunities and discuss the hiring path during training.
Provider readiness: business records and annual participation
Business standing. Application p. 5 requires at least three years of state registration, active status, and good standing. Accepted evidence includes a certificate of good standing, status, existence or filing, or official business entity records. Match the legal name in the application to the state record (p. 7). In the September 30, 2026 SkillBridge 101 call, presenters confirmed that an official state-record screenshot is acceptable when it establishes the required registration history and current status. If the online record omits status, obtain the additional state documentation. A purchased certificate is not universally required.
Government organizations are exempt from this state-document requirement; government contractors and grant recipients are not. Sole proprietorships have a State Department of Taxation documentation alternative showing at least three years in business and good standing. See application p. 5 and MOU §4.1.5.
Annual minimums. Application p. 8 lists: 200 or fewer employees—1 participant; 201–400—2; 401–600—3; 601–1,000—4. MOU §4.2.1 lists 5 for organizations with more than 1,000 employees.
Boundary clarification: the application’s final category literally says “more than 1001,” while the MOU says “over 1000.” The MOU also uses open-ended wording at 400, 600, and 1,000 employees. Confirm exact boundary cases with the SkillBridge office before making your application commitment. The overview above does not resolve those inconsistencies on DoW’s behalf.
Training approval and delivery
An MOU alone does not approve every training opportunity. Application p. 5 requires training plans and position announcements to be approved in the SkillBridge Provider Portal before selecting service members. MOU §4.1.6 requires plan review and approval before public sharing.
The plan must describe structured training tied to civilian skills and employment. Requests for new elements or programs need a detailed plan covering objectives, structure, duration, and expected outcomes; MOU §4.2.12 states a maximum of 40 hours per week. See also §4.2.3.
Asynchronous-only training is not allowed. Asynchronous training must be less than 50% of the total training length, with live-led virtual instruction and/or an in-person component. A simple 50/50 split does not meet the “less than 50%” wording. Sources: application p. 14; MOU §4.2.4.
Costs, compensation, and ethics
Participant costs. MOU §4.2.6 prohibits personal costs directly or indirectly related to program administration and delivery, including training fees, materials, equipment, uniforms, certifications, and licensure. Subsistence, lodging, and travel from home station to the program location are treated separately. Qualifying GI Bill use is at the service member’s sole discretion and subject to the MOU’s disclosure conditions. Do not describe the program as having no possible personal expenses.
Compensation. MOU §4.2.8 prohibits compensation or gifts for services performed during participation. Cost subsidies and reimbursements must meet §4.2.6’s conditions. Do not treat this as permission to promise wages, stipends, or benefits without checking the applicable rules.
Ethics training. The September 30, 2026 SkillBridge 101 presentation identified the primary MOU point of contact listed on the application as the person who must complete ethics training and submit the certificate. Application p. 5 also asks the person completing the application to attest that they completed the training. In the Q&A, presenters distinguished the person completing the application and managing training programs from the authorized MOU signer. Do not assume the CEO or signer must be the certificate holder solely because they sign. For an assisted submission, identify the client's primary contact and confirm with DoW how to handle the submitter's attestation if a different person submits it; a consultant's certificate should not automatically be treated as satisfying the client's requirement.
The call also recommended ethics training for hiring managers and supervisors. That recommendation is separate from the primary contact's certificate requirement; it was not presented as a universal certificate requirement for every supervisor. MOU §§4.2.9–4.2.10 also address ethics coordination and participant conflicts of interest.
Who owns the application and the program?
Application p. 6 expressly recognizes someone submitting strictly to assist a new organization with its application process without becoming a third-party provider. VBS can prepare and submit that application on the client’s behalf.
The client remains the applicant and, if approved, the authorized provider. Its authorized representative signs its own MOU; application p. 17 requires a legal, accountable signatory of the organization. The client retains responsibility for program execution and compliance under MOU §4.2.14. VBS supports program design, application preparation, training plans, recruiting processes, and implementation as a consultant—not as the client’s provider, sponsor, or umbrella.
Military approval, duration, and safe training
Application p. 4 sets a ceiling of 180 days, within the member’s final 180 days of service. Actual eligibility, duration, approval authority, leave, duty status, and service-specific restrictions must be confirmed through the member’s service and command. MOU §4.2.5 requires Military Department authorization before the participant starts.
The earlier branch/rank table is removed from this FY27 provider reference because these provider materials do not establish every current service-specific cap. Do not use a generalized rank band or the 180-day ceiling as a promised training duration.
MOU §4.2.15 requires a structured, safe environment and allows training for hazardous occupations only in controlled training environments. Application p. 4 also requires applicable safety training in advance for high-risk training. This is more precise than a blanket statement that no hazardous occupation is permitted.
The earlier claims about universal prior-employer/family-business bans, authority over civilians, company vehicles, fixed military check-in frequency, and one fellowship per career are not restated as Department-wide rules here. These FY27 provider sources do not establish all of those blanket claims. In the September 30 call, presenters specifically separated approval of a family-owned provider from command approval of a relative's participation and recommended disclosure of the relationship. Check current service guidance and ethics advice for the specific participant.
Track outcomes from the start
MOU §4.2.20 requires participation and outcome data upon request: participants and service affiliation, completions, qualifying offers and offer percentage, acceptances, employment industry, starting salary offers, and retention. Assign an owner and keep records from day one. The section does not establish a universal monthly or quarterly reporting schedule.
Before you apply
Confirm the jobs, locations, supervisor, annual participation capacity, state records, ethics-training documentation, authorized signer, and compliance point of contact. Prepare the training plan and employment pathway. Then check the current intake instructions on the official provider page.
Source review includes the FY27 application, blank FY27 MOU, existing SkillBridge 101 deck, and the supplied transcript of the September 30, 2026 call. The call provides useful operational clarifications, but its shorthand and apparent transcription errors should not replace the written terms. For example, the transcript mentions 48 training hours per week and at least 50% live instruction; this reference retains the FY27 written provisions cited above: a 40-hour maximum for new program plans and less than 50% asynchronous training. Likewise, references in the Q&A to a 75% hire rate do not change the MOU's qualifying-offer measure or its government-agency exception. Confirm unresolved differences with the SkillBridge office.
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