Hosting a fellowship provides a company with access to highly skilled and talented Fellows at no cost. Throughout the Fellowship, company leadership can evaluate their capabilities in a real-world setting while benefiting from their expertise. Although there is no obligation to extend a job offer, many of our Fellows secure full-time positions upon completing their Fellowships, making this a low-risk opportunity to discover top talent.

Our Mandatum Transition Team (MTT) works closely with company representatives to understand the Fellowship role, ideal candidate profile, and company culture. We then facilitate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the company and our MTT. Once the MOU is signed, we provide resumes of qualified candidates who align with the company’s needs. The organization has the opportunity to interview and select the best fit before extending a Fellowship offer.

The MOU is a formal agreement that defines the key parameters of the Fellowship, including its purpose, expectations, and responsibilities of both the sponsoring organization and the Fellow. It ensures clarity and alignment between all parties. Once finalized, the document is signed by the appropriate company representatives and our team.

The Fellowship is unpaid because the service member remains on active duty and continues to receive full military pay throughout the immersion period. Per military regulations, service members cannot accept compensation from an external organization while participating in the program.

The immersion experience should be tailored to each Fellow based on their skills, interests, and career goals. We encourage companies to provide exposure to multiple departments, roles, and responsibilities to give the Fellow a well-rounded understanding of the organization. While job shadowing can be valuable, hands-on experience is preferred whenever possible. We recommend pairing the Fellow with a mentor—ideally a veteran within the organization—to provide guidance and support throughout the immersion.

As an active-duty service member, the Fellow remains under the authority of his military chain of command. However, with his command’s approval to participate in the Fellowship, he also reports to the supervisor designated by the hosting company or organization for day-to-day responsibilities and guidance.

Fellowships typically span seven to ten days.

Most Fellows require little to no special accommodations. However, if a Fellow has a condition that may impact his work or requires specific accommodations, he will discuss his needs with the company in advance to ensure a supportive and successful Fellowship experience.

We take great care in matching each Fellow with the right opportunity and encourage hosting organizations to invest time in the selection process. However, in the rare case that the Fellowship is not a good fit, the company has the option to terminate it. Likewise, if the experience does not meet the Fellow’s expectations or needs, they may also choose to end the Fellowship.

If challenges arise, we ask that the company reach out to our team to discuss concerns and explore possible solutions before making a final decision.