Across Yorkshire and the Humber, more than 330 employers have signed the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) to pledge their support for the whole defence community. Jill Theobald caught up with the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Yorkshire and the Humber (RFCA) who run the scheme in this area to find out why employers wanting to do their bit for the military should sign up – and spoke to lots of businesses already benefiting
“The Armed Forces Covenant is a partnership between the Army and employers – this is a two-way street.”
Very early on in our conversation about the Armed Forces Covenant, Richard Lenton, Regional Employer Engagement Director at RFCA/MOD, shares how signing up can benefit businesses themselves as well as show their support for the Forces community.
The Covenant was launched by the Government in 2014 and employers of all sizes and sectors, even sole traders, can sign the AFC which is a promise by the nation to treat fairly those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces and their families.
As Richard points out, there are many reasons why so many have signed up – and why the RFCA want to spread the word to even more.
“It enables businesses to show their support for Britain’s Armed Forces, get access to free, military-run leadership and teambuilding training, to get help and guidance on advertising their vacancies on free, military-focused jobs boards, and make their organisation more attractive to high-quality and highly-skilled service leavers and reservists.”
Once signed up, many firms choose to deepen their commitment by embedding Forces-friendly policies and procedures into their working practices – enabling them to take part in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.
Richard said: “A lot of regular reserves and cadet force adult volunteers check out our website and look for organisations and companies, including many people looking to relocate to Sheffield, to see how many have signed the covenant – it gives a strong indication of the Forces-friendly approach of a region.
“We are building up the footprint in Sheffield again as it is a strong area with 36th Signal Regiment, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment. It has been a strong foothold because historically Royal Engineers were training people and giving them qualifications and skills, because of the connections with the city’s steelworks and engineering firms.
“There was and still is a massive contingent at the universities studying management leadership skills through the Sandhurst Group that they undertake as part of their degree in line with Sheffield Military Education Committee (MEC), too.
“With Sheffield City Council’s support for the Armed Forces and the veterans’ community and giving them the Freedom of the City, the council has itself got renewed Silver ERS status and many other firms are following suit including the Chamber of Commerce. The support is building up and we need to share that feeling of spirit and camaraderie again which includes the support of some fantastic businesses.
“This is a partnership, it’s a two-way street. Historically if we go back to 2000 the Armed Forces were taking their reservists for operational activities because we were going through the Iraq and Gulf wars and into Afghanistan and there was pushback then from employers who were trying to run a business. The Army has changed the way they do things, through the Employer Engagement Scheme, and is very good at team building, communications and developing people under pressure – and that’s what we can offer free to employers.
“We’re giving it to employers as a thank you for signing the Covenant, being a supportive and giving opportunities to service leavers as well as reservists to allow them to go off and do training. There are financial incentives in place to help employers so the business is not out of pocket in any way – the Army will pick up the additional costs to keep that job open for that employee to return to.
“Some businesses recruit ex-Forces and reservists, some ex-Forces people have set up businesses here and it’s about supporting not just the personnel but their families, partners and children, and the veterans who have come back – to say thank you for your service, that’s what it is all about.”
Retired Major Edward Colver MBE is MD of Milifix Ltd which he set up two years ago helping people leaving the Forces re-use their transferable skills in repair and maintenance work.
He said: “Over the last 12-18 months the company has concentrated in particular on the contract cleaning and painting and decorating side of the business employing people from all military sectors where we can support our veterans but also add value to our customers, too.
“We’re proud to be ERS silver members which we proudly display. Having served 18 years in the Army myself I understand the difficulties veterans can find not just looking for employment, but stability, too, after they leave.
“By being a Forces friendly employer not only do you get the best of the best of the employment pool, but you speak the same language. It’s ensuring those transferable skills veterans have across many arenas are valued – whether that’s by us employing them or another company or a different sector, as long as we’re helping veterans that’s the main thing.
“Companies should consider employing veterans because not only are they supporting people who have made a commitment to the UK in serving our Armed Forces but they are employing individuals who have received the highest level of training in their field, who are hardworking, have integrity and a strong ‘can do ‘attitude which employers will value in the running of their business.”
Dave Newton, ITI’s commercial director, was in the forces for five years serving with Royal Engineers. He said: “Because of my background I knew the skillset ex-forces personnel could bring. I met with The Reserved Forces Association in Sheffield on behalf of ITI and we met quite a few personnel including one who explained how difficult he was finding getting into work. He came across as intelligent and keen to work, we had an opportunity so invited him for an interview, he ended up working for us for over three years.
“I knew it would be good for us as a business to sign up for the Covenant and show our support. It meant updating some of our policies to fall in line with Reservists specific requirements – areas like Forces personnel needing extra time off for training – and our business has since been applauded for our flexible working practices and positive support for Reservists.
“We were growing our business with more forces personnel and went for the Bronze Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) award and then in 2016 ITI was awarded the Silver.
“I decided we should push for gold, it was a two-pronged approach – we wanted to employ ex-forces personnel and show them we were a company they could come to but also it was good for ITI because they have unique and highly transferable skills and experiences that can benefit businesses.
“I know forces leavers struggle to transition those skills though, and that was a big driver for me having experienced it personally. It starts with their CVs – if one lands on my desk I will understand the way it’s written and structure because of my time in the forces. Most applicants have spent their entire adult life in the military, and tend to write using military terminology. This might not read well to someone who’s never served, so adapting the wording to civilian language is very important in job applications.
“It was great to be one of just 51 organisations in the UK recognised with the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award at a national ceremony in London two years ago, and we’re still involved in conversations to this day about pushing the talents and skills of ex-forces and reservists in Yorkshire.
“The RFCA’s Richard Lenton has been a strong force for us by linking people with like-minded businesses – Richard was invited on stage at Sheffield Business Awards last year to present us with our award!
“I hope to continue our support for reservists and ex-Forces for as long as possible, they really are a great asset to any business and would encourage business owners to get behind the ERS scheme.”
Edward Colver MBE MD of Milifix
Retired Major Edward Colver MBE is MD of Milifix Ltd, a business he set up two years ago helping people leaving the forces to re-use their transferable skills in repair and maintenance work.
He said: “Over the last 12-18 months the company has concentrated in particular on contract cleaning and painting and decorating side of the business employing people from all military sectors where we can support our veterans but also add value to our customers, too.
“COVID has been a difficult time as it was for many companies, but we negotiated our way through it thanks to the fantastic Sheffield businesses using us and our contracted and sub-contracted employees.
“We’re proud to be silver members of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme which we proudly display. Having served 18 years in the Army myself I understand the difficulties veterans can find not just looking for employment, but stability too, after they leave the forces.
“By being a forces friendly employer not only do you get the best of the best of the employment pool, but you speak the same language. It’s ensuring those transferable skills veterans have across many arenas are valued – whether that’s by us employing them or another company or a different sector – as long as we’re helping veterans that’s the main thing.
“Companies should consider employing veterans because not only are they supporting people who have made a commitment to the UK in serving our armed forces but they are employing individuals who have received the highest level of training in their field, who are hardworking, have integrity and a strong ‘can do ‘attitude which employers will value in the day to day running of their business.
Dave Newton commercial director of ITI Network Services
Dave Newton, ITI’s commercial director, was in the forces for five years serving with the Royal Engineers.
He said: “Because of my background I knew the skillset ex-forces personnel could bring. I met with The Reserved Forces Association in Sheffield on behalf of ITI and we met quite a few personnel including one who explained how difficult he was finding getting into work. He came across as intelligent and keen to work, we had an opportunity so invited him for an interview, and he ended up working for us for over 3 years.
“I knew it would be good for us as a business to sign up for the Armed Forces Covenant and show our support. It meant updating some of our policies to fall in line with Reservists specific requirements – areas like armed forces personnel needing extra time off for training during the year – and our business has since been applauded for our flexible working practices and positive support for Reservists.
“We were growing our business with more forces personnel and went for the Bronze Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Award and then in 2016 ITI was awarded the Silver Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Award, showing we’re one of the country’s leading employers of Reservists.
“I decided we should push for gold, it was a two-pronged approach – we wanted to employ ex-forces personnel and show them we were a company they could come to, but also it was good for ITI because they have unique and highly transferable skills and experiences that can benefit businesses.
“I know forces leavers struggle to transition those skills though and that was a big driver for me having experienced it personally. It starts with their CVs – if one lands on my desk I will understand the way it’s written and structured because of my time in the forces. Most applicants have spent their entire adult life in the military, they tend to write their CV using military terminology. This might not read well to a reviewer if they have never served, adapting the wording to civilian language is very important in job applications.
“It was great to be one of just 51 organisations in the UK recognised with the MOD’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award at a national ceremony in London two years ago, we’re still involved in conversations to this day about pushing the talents and skills of ex-forces and Reservists in Yorkshire.
“Richard Lenton, regional employer engagement director at RFCA/MOD has been a strong force in all of this for us by linking people with like-minded businesses – Richard was invited on stage at Sheffield Business Awards last year to present us with the award!
“I hope to continue our support for reservists and ex-forces for as long as possible, they really are a great asset to any business and would encourage business owners to get behind the ERS scheme.”
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Cllr Jenny Platts, Cabinet Spokesperson for Adults and Communities, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised as Gold standard as part of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. It follows years of dedication from our teams who continue to work with and support our Armed Forces community in Barnsley.
“We would encourage other businesses and local authorities to sign up – it really helps your organisation to focus on your Forces community, making sure they will not be disadvantaged when accessing services after they’ve served and help identify any gaps or needs in your business or local area. This work has been a huge success for us, and we have plenty more projects yet to come to continue our future Gold standard.”
Sheffield Military Education Committee (MEC)
Dr Charlotte Coleman, Chair of MEC, said: “The MEC exists to provide links between Sheffield’s two universities and the Military service units (Army, Navy and Airforce) aligned with our universities.
“We promote the acquisition of military and leadership skills that contribute to the personal development of serving students and maximise their future employability. We are doing our bit to ensure we treat students in the military fairly. We would encourage all businesses to sign the Covenant to show they will treat current and ex-military personnel fairly.”
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Chairman Alan Lockwood said: “We employ a number of veterans and service leavers and really value the skills and work ethic they bring. We support their transition into civilian life by providing them with a mentor/adviser.
“We have flexible working arrangements that enable reservists to take time off for military duties and sponsor a local cadet unit, allowing them to use one of our buildings for parade evenings.
“We were granted Silver and Bronze ERS Awards and encourage other organisations to follow its lead as we sets our sights set on Gold.”
South Yorkshire Police
Dave Struggles, Inspector Operational Police Training, said: “We fully recognise the value of employing Army Reservists or reservists from other services within our ranks. There are a raft of transferable skills, talent and experience within the military which is invaluable. Core qualities such as respect for others, moral courage, commitment, loyalty, discipline, selflessness and integrity, coupled with the strong focus on service, teamwork and leadership are essential within the armed services and map across to the desired attributes we expect within our own workforce.”
Sheffield City Council
Councillor Tony Damms, the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, said: “We recognise the contribution and sacrifices members of the Armed Forces community have made and the experience and expertise they bring.
“We want to tangibly show support, for example when they are making the transition back to civilian life, and constantly strive to improve our services to veterans.
“We are proud of our ERS Silver Award and very much support other organisations to become part of the scheme – it is a chance for organisations to satisfy themselves they are doing all they can to support the Armed Forces Community.”
Sheffield Mind
Samantha Mulholland, Keeping Families in Mind Coordinator, said: “Sheffield Mind signed the Armed Forces covenant in 2018 to show our support to the whole Armed Forces community and raise awareness of the support we offer. Not only did it help us raise awareness of our organisation, it has helped us create contacts with Reservists and Cadets, and introduced us to multiple businesses from Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.
“The RFCA have been extremely helpful with facilitating us to build our network, and inviting us to events to learn more about how the Armed Forces community could benefit our charity. We would definitely encourage other charities and businesses to sign the covenant, learn more about the Armed Forces community and to find out how members of the community can enhance their organisations.”
It takes just minutes to sign The Covenant at:
gov.uk/government/publications/corporate-covenant-pledge
For more information about the AFC and ERS, contact the Employer Engagement Team at the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Yorkshire and the Humber at: yh-eeao@rfca.mod.uk
