The City of Austin, Texas launched a new internship program with the Fort Hood military base, allowing exiting soldiers to join the city as interns. The first three interns will be placed in the Fleet Services Department before rolling out city-wide over the next several months, the city has announced.

“We are excited about this opportunity because it gives us access to people coming out of the military who already have a sense of discipline and commitment to a mission. This program not only serves the soldier’s needs, but also the City of Austin’s needs for a skilled workforce, and it provides a great service to the citizens of Austin,” said Fleet Services Director Gerry Calk.

The internship program is for soldiers who are within 180 days of leaving service. The duration of each internship will be 18 weeks. If during that time a job opening is available, all military interns will have the opportunity to compete for open jobs through the city’s normal competitive hiring process. The Army will pay all salary and benefits costs for City of Austin internships.

The City of Austin currently employs approximately 2,000 veterans, and approximately 150 veterans are in the National Guard and Reserves. The city has a veteran preference in its current hiring process, with a goal to fill 20% of annual job vacancies with veterans.