It’s a problem perhaps as old as militaries themselves—what happens to former soldiers once they leave the military? How can they apply the skills they learned in uniform to civilian occupations?

For Sergeant Michael Woolley, 31, a veteran of tours to both Bosnia and Kandahar, it seemed like the leadership and problem-solving skills he’d learned over more than a decade serving in the Canadian Forces would get him, well, not too much. “The experiences the military gave are great, but transitioning to civvy street is a huge challenge,” said Woolley.