Learning how to run a project, communicate in a corporate setting, or influence colleagues without formal rank are not always part of military training, yet they matter once service members join contractors like HX5. That is where the professional development side of the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program comes in, supplementing the technical fellowship work HX5 has hosted since 2021 for a small but steady group.
CEO Margarita Howard, herself an Air Force veteran, has kept the company’s participation steady at two fellows per year, adding up to eight fellows total so far. The fellowship, a Department of Defense SkillBridge initiative that began in 2015, pairs four days of hands-on work weekly with one day devoted to skills training, all while fellows still receive military pay and benefits during their final 180 days of service.
Filling the Cultural Gap
Military service builds strong habits around accountability, attention to detail, and operational security, values that already line up well with the demands of government contracting work. What often needs more attention is the business side, things like procurement processes and contract structures that rarely come up during active duty service.
HX5, which operates across more than 20 states and over 70 government locations supporting Department of Defense and NASA missions, gives fellows exposure to that business context before they commit fully to a contracting career of their own. Howard has her own military background as a direct influence on how the company approaches this balance between technical and business training.
Margarita Howard’s continued backing of the fellowship suggests HX5 views the professional development component as just as important as the technical placement itself, rounding out fellows before they take on permanent roles across the company. That balance, rather than technical training alone, is often what determines whether a fellow ultimately chooses a lasting career in contracting. Read this article for additional information.
Find more information about Margarita Howard on https://www.margaritahoward.com/
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