Ministry Of Defence
This collaborative project is delivered by Defence Relationship Management and Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities). The Hub enables forces-friendly organisations across all sectors to showcase the continued value of the UKs highly-skilled veteran community.
Latest news
Government backs veterans by approving Veteran Card as voter ID for first time
The government has allowed HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards to be used as voter ID in forthcoming elections and a wider review of the voter ID policy is taking place to understand its impact on citizens.
New Career Transition Partnership launches
On 1 October 2024, the new Career Transition Partnership (CTP) platform was launched. The platform was re-procured by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and delivered by public services provider Reed in Partnership.
The new CTP will help approximately 15,000 Service leavers each year, by providing:
- a new digital platform
- personal resettlement support
- access to subsidised vocational training courses and training grants
- resettlement allowances
- workshops and events
- housing and finance briefs
- links with thousands of forces-friendly employers looking to hire
The CTP is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement support for all Service leavers, regardless of time served.
Visit the CTP website for more information on resettlement for services leavers
UK Afghanistan Veterans Community survey
AVC logo
The UK Afghanistan Veterans Community (AVC) is an emerging independent charitable organisation. It was co-founded by Invictus Games athlete Jonny Ball VR and serving officer Lt Col Matthew Mallett MBE to provide support to 150k veterans of Afghanistan.
The AVC would like to hear from veterans of Afghanistan to understand their experiences of employment and resettlement after their service. Participants will be entered into a prize draw for a 50 Amazon voucher.
Complete the survey by 31 October
AVC Facebook
AVC Instagram
AVC LinkedIn
What is a veteran?
Veterans are defined as anyone who has served for at least one day in His Majestys Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. There are currently 2.4 million veterans in Great Britain.
There are 2.4 million veterans in Great Britain. 40% of veterans are 16-64 years old. The percentage of working age veterans is set to increase to 44% by 2028. 60% of veterans are over 65. 75% of veterans own their home or have a mortgage. It is estimated that 3% to 6% of those sleeping rough have served in the Armed Forces. 75% are healthy, 17% have fair health and 8% have bad health. Want to learn more? Tune in to our being forces friendly podcast.
Listen to our team of veterans talk about their experiences: transitioning from the UK Armed Forces and what the word veteran means to them.
You can find and listen to all of our Being Forces Friendly podcast episodes on Anchor.
Share your story: what does the word veteran mean to you? Use the hashtag #ProudToBeAVeteran on the platforms below:
Veterans employment
An employers guide to hiring veterans
An employers' guide to hiring veterans graphic (Office for Veterans' Affairs).
The employers guide to hiring veterans (published by the OVA) was launched by the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer, former Minister For Veteran Affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses HQ in London.
The guide provides support to organisations that seek guidance and best practices for the employment, retention, and career development of veterans. Case studies from existing organisations are included, providing tips and lived experiences.
Read the employers guide to hiring veterans.
The Reed Group
Reed logo.
The Reed Group has recently been awarded the Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Award.
The Reed Group has created an internal Armed Forces Veterans and Reservists Group (AFVR), a Group-wide community for Armed Forces/ex-Armed Forces staff to connect.
The AFVR Groups benefits include:
- offering employees a support group of people with similar experiences
- recreating a sense of camaraderie that they may be missing from their time in the forces
- offering an optional buddy system for mentoring new staff, especially when this is a members first civilian job
- sharing Armed Forces events, news and experiences
Joanna Chapman, Reed Group business development manager, has said:
This shows our commitment to supporting Armed Forces personnel and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by their Service. We work continuously to create new and improve existing policies and initiatives that support those who have served and those who continue to serve, including guidance documents for our recruiting staff and job application support for those applying to work for Reed.
Their working group will also hold group-wide talks to raise awareness for employing the Armed Forces Community, the benefits they bring to employers, and how they can be supported. Reed opens group talks to external stakeholders to host and bring their expertise, and they welcome anyone who would be interested in attending. If you would like to participate, email the Reed Armed Forces Community at ArmedForces.Community@reed.com.
The Forces Employment Charity
Forces Employment Charity logo.
The Forces Employment Charity stands by ex-Forces personnel through a range of programmes and practical support. Supporting anyone who has served at least one day in His Majestys Regular Armed Forces, or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. Support is delivered by experienced advisors, many of whom also served. The Forces Employment Charity advisors are committed to helping veterans succeed through their working lives.
The Forces Employment Charity programmes provide a range of practical tools and advice to help veterans use their military skills to stand out from the crowd.
The support provided includes:
- advice on career choices
- researching the job market
- job matching
- advice on training
- recommendations for courses and education
- support with writing a CV
- advice on interview techniques
- expert industry knowledge and updates
- events and employment fairs