OUR Armed Forces put their lives on the line keeping us safe – and deserve great jobs when their service ends.
More than 15,000 men and women leave the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force each year but the Employment Charity reveals only eight per cent are confident they can land work on Civvy Street.
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Despite ex-military possessing a wealth of valuable skills, research by the charity also found many struggle to transfer these in later life and just 35 per cent feel proud of the expertise they built up in their defence roles.
Barriers such as a lack of professional networks outside the military, or civilian recruiters not understanding forces CVs, can make it harder for them to find suitable jobs.
But tomorrow is Armed Forces Day, when the UK celebrates our serving military staff, and it is also a chance to help former forces personnel.
Former Army Captain Hugh Andree is co-founder of veterans community we-served.com and has spent 14 years helping service leavers find work.
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He says: “From the top to bottom of any organisation, ex-military are great for business.
“When the Government faces a national crisis, they call on our Armed Forces to step in.
“Cool, calm planning and execution ensue and this doesn’t happen just by accident — it is because of their training.”
Currently, fewer than half of UK employers say they know where to access talent from the military, but this is starting to change.
The Forces Employment Charity has recorded a 20 per cent increase in the number of firms actively looking to recruit veterans over the last five years.
Some of the UK’s biggest firms now offer dedicated pathways to attract talent.
One of these is CEVA Logistics.
The firm’s Paul Farr says: “We value the unique skills that ex-military can bring to our organisation.
“We actively seek them out for roles which require significant problem-solving, leadership skills and a high degree of resilience.”
Gurkha Bir Bahadur Rai is now a supervisor with security firm OCS, after landing the job thanks to 15 years’ military experience from 1979 to 1994.
His tasks in the forces included mine-clearing duties in the Falklands.
After the military, he worked in security around the world before settling in the UK in 2016 and finding the OCS job with help from the Forces Employment Charity.
Bir, 63, says: “My duties are planned for a year ahead which empowers me to plan, and hone my skills.
“I have learned many new things with OCS and it has given me job security.”
OCS has more than 500 roles available.
Apply at www.troopr.co.uk/organisation/5898.
EMPLOYERS FOR EX-MILITARY
- THE Force Pathway at British Gas owner Centrica supports veterans into roles in engineering and Net Zero, and jobs including project managers, field operation managers and offshore supervisors. Email centricapathway@britishgas.co.uk.
- DHL Supply Chain has more than 100 jobs. Scott Roberts, Senior Health and Safety Business Partner, says: “I joined DHL from the Army in 2007. Its support for my career development has been outstanding.” See careers.dhl.com/eu/en.
- Severn Trent has a forces recruitment site with more than 100 roles on offer. See severntrent.com/careers/armed-forces. Steve Birnie, Resourcing Manager, says: “We understand that leaving the Armed Forces is a huge transition, so we not only offer permanent roles for people who have already left, we have placement schemes for individuals still in service that are starting their journey back to civilian life.”
- Jaguar Land Rover has hired more than 1,000 ex-forces staff globally since 2014. See jaguarlandrovercareers.com.
- Ceva Logistics has 150 jobs. You can apply at cevalogistics.com/en/careers. And you’ll find more logistics roles at generationlogistics.org.
- Design firm Stantec offers a veterans recruitment site and work in electrical, mechanical, and structural engineering roles. See veterans.stantec.jobs.
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Benefits of the services industry
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WHAT makes ex-military personnel such special employees?
Anna Baker Cresswell is founder of the charity high ground-uk.org, which helps place service leavers in outdoor jobs.
She says: “Military life teaches motivation, problem-solving, teamwork, resilience and adaptability in sometimes rough and often unfamiliar environments.
“The challenge is to help veterans to work out what military skills and experience they have to access the many opportunities it offers for employment.”
Here she explains why more firms should hire former servicemen and women . . .
- MILITARY VALUES ARE GOOD BUSINESS VALUES: Integrity, hard work and loyalty are drummed in to all military recruits, regardless of rank and from day one of basic training. These are the sorts of skills organisations desperately need.
- TRAINABILITY: Most military are posted into new jobs every two years, where they rapidly need to learn new skills. Upskilling is central to how they learn.
- ADAPTABILITY: Frequently moving and changing jobs means former forces staff excel at meeting and working with new people, and adapting to new environments.
- PROBLEM SOLVING: Unlike in the civilian workplace, when something breaks down you can’t send for a spare, so you need to make do and crack on. Veterans don’t panic, they just get the job done.
- TEAMWORK: Former forces staff are used to working together, often in hostile environments. They can bond a team brilliantly.
- TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: The list includes good timekeeping, ability to work in all weathers, face all challenges and never leave until a task is completed.
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CORPS SECURITY was founded in 1859 to help ex-military find roles, and currently has 64 positions available.
Check out corpssecurityjobs.co.uk.
Vets tech roles
FORMER military personnel taking up tech careers are helping to bridge the country’s digital skills gap.
Government figures estimate the shortfall in expertise costs the UK up to £63billion a year.
So the TechVets programme is helping around 30 people into IT roles each month.
It supports Armed Forces leavers, veterans, reservists and their partners with training in cyber security, IT project management and infrastructure, data specialisms and programming.
James Murphy, at the Forces Employment Charity, said: “The TechVets programme is here to unlock the potential of talented professionals with immense and diverse experience so the digital economy can thrive.”
See techvets.co.
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THE charity Mission Motorsport is working with the automotive industry to offer training for veterans, including in electric car maintenance. Find out more at missionautomotive.org.
All systems go
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EXPERIENCE in the Armed Forces can set you up for a career with the UK’s largest defence and security firm, BAE Systems.
It already has more than 2,000 ex-military on its books.
The company’s head of HR, Tania Gandamihardja, says: “The work we do allows those who have served and developed specialist skills to continue using them.”
Laura Appleby, who had a 14-year Army career before joining BAE, is now a director helping to develop new digital systems across the business.
Laura, 46, from Cheshire, said: “Being part of the military has given me the foundations to thrive in my career.”
To search for jobs, check out baesystems.com/careers.