At the intersection of innovation, opportunity, and purpose, three organizations—Solutions for Information Design, Inc. (SOLID), The Manufacturing Institute (MI), and iDatafy—have joined forces to transform the future of how military-connected individuals access career opportunities.
Through SOLID’s Map My Future (MMF) platform, MI’s Heroes MAKE America (HMA) program, and iDatafy’s SmartResume, this partnership creates a seamless, skills-first experience that connects transitioning service members and veterans with employers eager to hire proven talent.
This effort goes beyond technical integration—it’s a unified commitment to expanding access, empowering users, and redefining how the workforce recognizes and connects talent. MMF was developed by SOLID, a leader in military credentialing and skills translation, and grounded in SOLID’s decades of experience analyzing military training, occupations, and experience to identify transferable, civilian-relevant competencies. That rigorous, standards-based framework is now being extended into the job market in real time.
It all began with the Manufacturing Readiness Project, which laid the foundation for these military-to-manufacturing skill pathways and helped demonstrate the power of digital credentials in action.
Thanks to this integration, users can now transfer the digital badges they earn in MMF directly into SmartResume with a single click. These badges—endorsed by the Manufacturing Institute and grounded in military-acquired skills—are immediately embedded into a dynamic, skills-based resume. This not only enhances jobseeker visibility but also unlocks direct entry into SmartResume’s rapidly growing talent marketplace, where employers prioritize verified skills over traditional credentials.
For the User, the Benefit is Immediate and Actionable
Service members or veterans using MMF can now:
- Earn digital badges that recognize specific competencies in foundational leadership, along with manufacturing related skill badges in safety, maintenance, and quality. A series of logistics badges will be released in the near future.
- Seamlessly move those badges into SmartResume, where they are automatically added to a resume they can use on any job platform.
- Activate their presence in a skills-based hiring network, gaining exposure to employers actively seeking talent with those exact competencies.
For Employers, the Impact is Transformative
Particularly in manufacturing, where workforce needs are urgent and vast, this partnership delivers a new kind of visibility into the military talent pipeline. Hiring managers will be able to identify candidates based on verified skills—not just degrees or job titles—giving them access to military-connected individuals whose capabilities have been validated through SOLID’s proven, standards-based methodologies.
Traditional job platforms and resume tools often fail to capture the nuance of military experience. MMF bridges that gap by issuing Learning and Employment Records (LERs) and skill-aligned badges that reflect meaningful, transferable skills. With SmartResume, those credentials become actionable tools in the hiring process—resumes that speak the language of both military service and civilian industry.
Veterans can highlight their achievements in a format employers understand, and employers can make better-informed hiring decisions based on real capability, not assumed qualifications.
A Model for Broader Workforce Transformation
For the broader workforce and education ecosystem, this integration sends a strong signal: digital credentials are not just symbolic, they’re functional, verifiable, and free to the user. By bringing together skill identification, resume-building, and transparent employer connection, this model sets a national precedent for inclusive, skills-first hiring.
While rooted in manufacturing, this is a scalable framework. The infrastructure and methodology developed by SOLID and implemented through MMF can be adapted to other high-need sectors—healthcare, logistics, and skilled trades, where talent shortages persist, and traditional hiring methods often overlook individuals with non-academic-based skills. With the right technology and collaboration, alternative credentials can reshape entire industries.
An Invitation to Build The Future
For funders, policymakers, and future partners, the message is clear: this isn’t an experiment, it’s a working model delivering results. The foundation is already in place—now is the time to invest in expanding this provenframework to other sectors, regions, and populations.
Together, SOLID, The Manufacturing Institute and iDatafy are unlocking a new economy of opportunity—one skill, one badge, and one job at a time.