You want to hire veterans. You have heard about SkillBridge. But there is a second channel that confuses a lot of hiring teams. It is the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program. People shorten it to HOH CFP. It is run by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, not the Department of Defense. That one detail trips up most employers who think it is just another name for SkillBridge.

The two programs are related. They can even run at the same time. But they are not the same thing. SkillBridge is a DoD authority that lets a service member train with you instead of doing normal duty. The HOH Corporate Fellowship is a structured 12-week cohort program that matches a transitioning service member to your company and supports both sides through the whole run.

If you are a midsize company that wants a low-risk way to test veteran talent before you commit to a hire, hosting a fellow is one of the cleanest paths there is. This guide breaks down what the program is, how the cohort model works, what it costs, what you sign up for, and how to turn a strong fellow into a full-time employee.

What is the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program?

The HOH Corporate Fellowship Program is a 12-week professional development program. It is run by Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. It places transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses into real jobs at host companies for the length of the cohort.

The goal is simple. Give a service member hands-on civilian work experience before they separate. Give a company a long look at a candidate before anyone signs anything. Both sides get to test the fit.

The program runs three times a year. It operates at select military installations and in host cities across the country. If you want to connect with candidates directly on base outside the fellowship structure, read our guide on recruiting veterans through base TAP offices. Each cohort is a fixed group that starts and ends together. Hundreds of companies take part, from small shops to large firms.

How does the 12-week cohort model work?

The cohort model is the part that makes CFP different from a one-off internship. A group of fellows starts together. They follow the same 12-week structure. They support each other through it.

Here is the basic flow for a fellow once a cohort begins.

So your fellow is with you most of the week. But they still get outside training and a support network through HOH. You are not the only thing standing between them and a smooth transition. That takes pressure off your team.

The match is not random. HOH matches fellowship candidates to companies based on the skills of the candidate and the preferences of both parties. You get a say in who you host. So does the fellow.

Who is eligible to be a fellow?

The program serves the military community. That includes transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses. Most fellows are active-duty members in their final months before separation. They are looking for civilian work experience and a path to a first job.

This matters for how you read a fellow. Many of them have never held a civilian job. Their resume may list a military job code you do not recognize. That does not mean the experience is not there. It means the work has to be translated.

A platform sergeant who ran a 40-person maintenance section managed people, parts, budgets, and deadlines. That is operations management. A logistics chief who tracked millions in equipment across a deployment ran supply chain that most civilians never get near. The job title sounds foreign. The skill is not.

A fellowship gives you 12 weeks to see the skill in action instead of guessing from a resume. That is the whole point. You learn what the person can do by watching them do it.

How does CFP relate to DoD SkillBridge?

This is the question that confuses everyone. So let me keep it clean.

DoD SkillBridge is a Department of Defense authority. It lets an active-duty service member spend their last few months in civilian job training instead of normal military duty. During that time, the service member stays on active-duty pay and benefits. The DoD pays them, not you.

The HOH Corporate Fellowship is the program a fellow does during that time. Many fellows use SkillBridge to take part in CFP. The fellowship is the structure. SkillBridge is the authority that frees up their time and keeps their pay flowing.

One more point that matters for how you treat a fellow. Getting into a fellowship is a competitive acceptance. The fellow earned a spot. It is not a job offer, and it is not a hire. The fellow is still in the military on active-duty pay. No one owes anyone a full-time offer when the 12 weeks end. Keep that framing straight and you will set the right expectations on both sides.

If you want the full breakdown of the DoD side, our guide on how to become a SkillBridge host company walks through the agreement and the approval steps.

What does it cost an employer to host a fellow?

This is the part hiring teams do not believe at first. There is no cost to participate in the Corporate Fellowship Program. Hiring Our Heroes states plainly that there is no fee for job seekers or for employers.

The fellow is also not on your payroll during the program. If they are using SkillBridge, the DoD keeps paying their salary and benefits. You provide the work, the desk, and the mentorship. You do not provide a paycheck.

So the math is straightforward. You get 12 weeks of work and a long evaluation window. You pay no program fee and no salary. The cost is your team's time and attention.

That time is not free. A fellow who gets ignored for 12 weeks learns nothing and leaves. You need a manager who will give the fellow real work and real feedback. Plan for that before you sign up. The companies that get the most out of CFP treat the fellow like a new hire from day one.

How does an employer become a host company?

Becoming a host is not a heavy lift. The hardest part is deciding to do it and lining up a good role.

The cohorts run three times a year. So timing matters. If you miss a window, you wait for the next one. Reach out early and tell your program manager which cohort you are aiming for.

Why does the cohort model fit a midsize company?

Big companies run their own veteran-hiring programs. They have in-house teams for this. A midsize company usually does not. You have real hiring needs but no dedicated veteran-sourcing pipeline. CFP fills that gap without forcing you to build a program from scratch.

HOH does the heavy work. They source the candidates. They run the orientation and the Friday training. They give you a program manager to coordinate the military side. You bring a role and a mentor. That split is what makes the program work for a lean team.

The cohort structure also gives you a clean timeline. Twelve weeks. A clear start and a clear end. You know exactly how long the evaluation runs. You can plan around it.

If you want to think about this as one channel among several, our breakdown of transition programs as a veteran sourcing channel shows how CFP, SkillBridge, and other paths fit together. Hosting a fellow is also a way to hire transitioning service members before separation, which means you get first look at talent before it hits the open market.

How do you convert a fellow into a full-time hire?

A great fellowship that ends with no offer is a missed opportunity. If the fellow performed, you want to lock them in. There is no rule forcing you to make an offer. But there is also nothing stopping you.

The fellow who did well will have the chance to interview for an open role at your company. They may also network with other companies for more interview options. So if you want them, move. A strong fellow has choices.

Start the conversation early. Do not wait until week 12. By week six or seven, you should know if this person is a keeper. If they are, tell them. Let them know an offer is coming so they stop looking elsewhere.

The good news is that conversion is easier here than with a cold hire. You already worked with this person for 12 weeks. You know their work. They know your team and your systems. Our guide on converting a SkillBridge intern into a full-time hire covers the offer and timing in detail, and the veteran onboarding 90-day plan helps you turn the new hire into a strong performer.

One more tip. When you read a fellow's record or a veteran applicant's resume, learn to read a military evaluation the right way. Our guide on reading an NCOER, OER, or FITREP as a recruiter shows you what those documents actually tell you about performance.

Where does your candidate pipeline come from?

A fellowship gets you one fellow per cohort. That is a great way to test-drive talent. But it is slow if you need to fill several roles. You need a wider pool to draw from at the same time.

That is where Best Military Resume comes in. BMR is a veteran talent platform with a steady, growing supply of military candidates. More than 1,000 new veteran profiles join the platform every month. Over 60,000 resumes have been built on the platform. These are transitioning service members and veterans actively building their next career.

You can use both channels together. Host a fellow through CFP for the deep, 12-week evaluation. Tap BMR's pool to fill the rest of your open roles with veterans who match your needs right now. One gives you depth on a single candidate. The other gives you breadth across many.

If you want to reach BMR's veteran talent pool, you can connect with our team to access veteran candidates who fit the roles you are hiring for. The Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service also lists more programs and incentives for employers who hire from the military community.