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
Nuclear Test Medal design unveiled
- The commemorative Nuclear Test Medal design has been unveiled.
- The aim is for veterans to receive them before Remembrance Sunday.
- The medal recognises the significant contribution of those who participated in the UKs nuclear testing programme.
The Prime Minister announced the medal in November on the 70th year anniversary of the first British nuclear weapon test. It recognises the Armed Forces community who participated in Britains nuclear testing programme in the 1950s and 1960s.
More information about the Nuclear Test Medal design
Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs
The Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs (AFVBC) is now the single largest veterans organisation in the UK, and membership growing weekly.
With over 400 clubs nationally and 15 overseas, the AFVBC seeks to end social isolation for veterans. The clubs bring people with a connection to the UK Armed Forces together and offers a chance to reminisce, share stories and interact with a community that is missed by most when leaving the Armed Forces.
The AFVBC is also conducting five pilot programmes in HM prisons across the UK, building a Armed Forces community within HM prisons. These pilot programmes help with social interaction, rehabilitation and a support structure for veterans who are currently within the criminal justice system.
Lindsay Beadnall from the AFVBC, said:
The AFVBC acts as a beacon of hope and a landmark for those who are at HMP Stocken. It gives them a community, purpose, a chance to learn new skills. And somewhere to head to when they leave HMP Stocken. Our young veterans are gaining awards and are developing their skills for employment on their release. It gives most a second chance.
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? Access the platforms below and use the hashtag #ProudToBeAVeteran:
Platform X (Previously Twitter)
Veterans Strategy Action Plan
Veterans strategy action plan.
Top commitments in the Veterans Strategy Action Plan include:
employment and skills
healthcare
understanding the veteran community
View Veterans Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024.
Veterans employment
Career Transition Partnership
The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Ltd, who are global career development and outplacement specialists and part of the ManpowerGroup. CTP provides resettlement services for those leaving the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Marines. Regardless of time served, all members of the Armed Forces can benefit from CTP support when leaving Service.In addition, they operate as an intermediary service for employers wishing to hire Service leavers.
To date, they have assisted over 235,000 Service leavers with the transition to civilian life and supported thousands of organisations looking to employ ex-Service personnel.
Find out how CTP can help your organisation harness military talent
CTP employment fairs connect employers with skilled and experienced individuals who have un-paralleled transferable skills in planning, communication, teamwork and leadership, along with adaptability, drive and resilience.
Career Transition Partnership leaflet (PDF, 95.2 KB, 1 page)
The Reed Group
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 woul