Ministry Of Defence
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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
Christmasinitiatives tosupportveteransover the holidays
ThisChristmas,multiple organisations areencouragingpeople to support veterans and their familiesduringthe festive period.
Christmas appealshavealready been launchedbymany,includingRoyal Navy & Royal Marines Charity,Combat Stress,SSAFAandBlind Veterans UK.
Many other organisationshave also set upeventsto raiseawarenessand fundsto support theveterancommunity,such as The Not Forgotten. The Not Forgotten hosts a series of Christmas lunchesthroughoutDecember (and two New Years Lunches in January)acrossthe UK,welcomingover 1,000 veterans and serving personnel experiencing injury, illness or isolation.Veterans of all ages, services and backgrounds gather for an afternoon of festive cheer at a local hotel with lunch, musical entertainment, games and a raffle.
Tim W, veteran at The Not Forgotten Christmas Lunch in Perth in 2023 said:
Thank you so much for a really lovely Christmas party today. I had an absolutely marvellous time. I think its the first time in three months that Ive smiled and certainly the first meal that wasnt out of the microwave.
Digital Veteran Card to make accessing support even easier for ex-service personnel
The new Digital Veteran Card will be introduced next year. It will make sure former service personnel can prove their veteran status as easily as possible, enabling smoother access to support - for example, help with housing, employment and rail discounts.
Veterans will be able to download their card instantly, which will be more convenient for smartphone users.
Read more about the Digital Veteran Card
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
For more information visit The Forces Employment Charity.
Forces-friendly employers
More than 12,000 organisations have committed to improving the lives of Service people and their families.
Since 2011, the Armed Forces Covenant has been a promise that, as a society, we will acknowledge that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families should be treated with fairness and respect.