This collaborative venture is delivered by Defence Relationship Administration and Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities). The Hub permits forces-friendly organisations throughout all sectors to showcase the continued worth of the UK’s highly-skilled veteran group.
Newest information
Defence celebrates girls within the armed forces
All through March, Defence Relationship Administration (DRM) and the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) are celebrating the range of ladies within the armed forces group.
The RFCAs are internet hosting occasions throughout the nation, together with the ‘Supporting our troops’ event from Lowland RFCA which passed off on Worldwide Ladies’s Day.
DRM are posting a sequence of case research to showcase optimistic tales from the ladies in our forces. To look at the primary within the sequence titled ‘A dialog with a feminine veteran from the Royal Navy’, go to DRM’s social media channels:
- X: @DRM_Support
- YouTube: @defencerelationshipmanagem9217
- LinkedIn: @DefenceRelationshipManagement
Additional schooling profession assist for feminine veterans
HighGround has developed a two-year programme designed to assist feminine veterans of their transition to careers inside the additional schooling land-based sector, together with a Degree 3 Award in Training and Coaching (AET) recognised qualification.
There will likely be data classes on 31 March and 1 April at Bicton Faculty and Sparsholt Faculty for these enthusiastic about making use of.
Further information on the course
Enlargement of presidency profession assist for veterans
Veterans and their households within the UK may have entry to enhanced profession assist, no matter once they left service, with authorities plans to broaden Op ASCEND. The extension will embody a broader vary of profession recommendation, and provisions for veterans seeking to arrange their very own enterprise or hone their enterprise and entrepreneurial expertise.
New veterans profession information for automotive trade
The Society of Motor Producers and Merchants (SMMT) and Mission Automotive have launched a brand new sector profession information for veterans. The information comprises recommendation for service-leavers contemplating a profession within the trade, together with the roles in excessive demand and the {qualifications} and expertise wanted for them.
What’s a veteran?
Veterans are outlined as anybody who has served for not less than someday in His Majesty’s Armed Forces (Common or Reserve) or Service provider Mariners who’ve seen responsibility on legally outlined army operations. There are at present 2.4 million veterans in Nice Britain.
There are 2.4 million veterans in Nice Britain. 40% of veterans are 16-64 years previous. The proportion of working age veterans is ready to extend to 44% by 2028. 60% of veterans are over 65. 75% of veterans personal their dwelling or have a mortgage. It’s estimated that 3% to six% of these sleeping tough have served within the Armed Forces. 75% are wholesome, 17% have honest well being and eight% have dangerous well being. Wish to study extra? Tune in to our ‘being forces pleasant’ podcast’.
Listen to our team of veterans talk about their experiences: transitioning from the UK Armed Forces and what the phrase ‘veteran’ means to them.
You will discover and hearken to all of our Being Forces Friendly podcast episodes on Anchor.
Share your story: what does the phrase “veteran” imply to you? Use the hashtag #ProudToBeAVeteran on the platforms beneath:
Veterans’ employment
An employers’ information to hiring veterans
An employers’ information to hiring veterans graphic (Workplace for Veterans’ Affairs).
The employers’ information to hiring veterans (printed by the OVA) was launched by the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer, former Minister For Veteran Affairs on the Federation of Small Companies HQ in London.
The information offers assist to organisations that search steering and greatest practices for the employment, retention, and profession improvement of veterans. Case research from present organisations are included, offering ideas and lived experiences.
Read the employers’ guide to hiring veterans
The Reed Group
Reed emblem.
The Reed Group has created an inner Armed Forces Veterans and Reservists Group (AFVR) group.
The AFVR Group’s advantages embody:
- providing workers a assist group of individuals with related experiences
- recreating a way of camaraderie that they might be lacking from their time within the forces
- providing an non-obligatory buddy system for mentoring new employees, particularly when this can be a member’s first civilian job
- sharing Armed Forces occasions, information and experiences
Joanna Chapman, Reed Group enterprise improvement supervisor, has stated:
This reveals our dedication to supporting Armed Forces personnel and guaranteeing they aren’t deprived by their Service. We work constantly to create new and enhance present insurance policies and initiatives that assist those that have served and those that proceed to serve, together with steering paperwork for our recruiting employees and job utility assist for these making use of to work for Reed.
Their working group can even maintain group-wide talks to lift consciousness for using the Armed Forces Neighborhood, the advantages they carry to employers, and the way they are often supported. Reed opens group talks to exterior stakeholders to host and produce their experience, they usually welcome anybody who can be enthusiastic about attending. If you want to take part, electronic mail the Reed Armed Forces Neighborhood at ArmedForces.Community@reed.com.
The Forces Employment Charity
Forces Employment Charity emblem.
The Forces Employment Charity stands by ex-Forces personnel by way of a vary of programmes and sensible assist. Supporting anybody who has served not less than someday in His Majesty’s Common Armed Forces, or Service provider Mariners who’ve seen responsibility on legally outlined army operations. Help is delivered by skilled advisors, lots of whom additionally served. The Forces Employment Charity advisors are dedicated to serving to veterans succeed by way of their working lives.
The Forces Employment Charity programmes present a variety of sensible instruments and recommendation to assist veterans use their army expertise to face out from the group.
The assist offered consists of:
- recommendation on profession decisions
- researching the job market
- job matching
- recommendation on coaching
- suggestions for programs and schooling
- assist with writing a CV
- recommendation on interview methods
- professional trade data and updates
- occasions and employment gala’s
For extra data go to The Forces Employment Charity.
Forces-friendly employers
Greater than 12,000 organisations have dedicated to enhancing the lives of Service folks and their households.
Since 2011, the Armed Forces Covenant has been a promise that, as a society, we are going to acknowledge that those that serve or have served within the Armed Forces and their households needs to be handled with equity and respect.
Read more about Forces-friendly employers
Hiring a veteran is nice for enterprise
New figures had been launched by the Forces Employment Charity on Armed Forces Day 2024, revealing that the variety of employers actively seeking to rent veterans has risen by over 20% within the final 5 years. This is a rise from 2,981 in 2018, to three,603 in 2023.
Veterans and small companies
Veterans: A Power for Enterprise
X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) and the Federation of Small Business (FSB) have collaborated extensively over the previous few years, starting with an insightful report into the enterprise panorama for Service leavers: A Force For Business.
The report highlights the contribution of the UK’s veteran inhabitants to the small enterprise sector, with 6% of small enterprise owned by veterans in Nice Britain. Nevertheless the report reveals that there’s scope for this to be elevated, higher numbers of veterans beginning, rising or working in Nice Britain’s thousands and thousands of small companies would see advantages for people, companies and communities.
(Copyright X-Forces 2021)
Veterans’ assist
Help for veterans and their households – OVA listing
The Workplace for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) have launched Support for veterans and their families, changing the Veterans Gateway.
The companies embody assist with bodily and psychological well being, finance, employment, housing and social care.
Armed Forces & Veterans’ Breakfast Golf equipment
Armed Forces & Veterans’ Breakfast Golf equipment emblem.
The Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Golf equipment (AFVBC) is now the only largest veterans organisation within the UK, and membership rising weekly.
With over 400 golf equipment nationally and 15 abroad, the AFVBC seeks to finish social isolation for veterans. The golf equipment convey folks with a connection to the UK Armed Forces collectively and gives an opportunity to reminisce, share tales and work together with a group that’s missed by most when leaving the Armed Forces.
The AFVBC can be conducting 5 pilot programmes in HM prisons throughout the UK, constructing a Armed Forces group inside HM prisons. These pilot programmes assist with social interplay, rehabilitation and a assist construction for veterans who’re at present inside the felony justice system.
Royal British Legion
Royal British Legion emblem.
Because the nation’s largest armed forces charity, the Royal British Legion gives a wide variety of assist to the group. They provide assist after simply someday of Service and regularly by way of life, lengthy after Service is over.
The Royal British Legion’s on-line data base may also help you discover out what assist the charity gives and what you might be eligible for as somebody who has served.
Find out more about the Royal British Legion
Forces Pension Society
Forces Pension Society emblem.
The Forces Pension Society is an unbiased, not-for-profit membership funded organisation. They act as a pension watchdog for the entire armed forces group and lift consciousness concerning the complexities and advantages of their Armed Forces Pension. The Society empowers its members to make higher, well-informed decisions about their Armed Forces Pension, and supply members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes and their companions with personalised pension steering.
In addition they work in collaboration with authorities to make sure the suitable supply of your pension, and run a sequence of roadshows and different academic classes to raised put together the Armed Forces group on all pension issues.
More information about the Forces Pension Society
2025 Unclaimed Pensions campaign
Blind Veterans UK
Blind Veterans UK emblem. Copyright: Blind Veterans UK
Blind Veterans UK is the nationwide charity for ex-service women and men with extreme sight loss.
The charity helps blind veterans to study very important life expertise and provides them the rehabilitation, coaching and assist they should stay unbiased lives.
Find out more about Blind Veterans UK
Veterans and the devolved nations
Northern Eire
Northern Eire Veterans Commissioner (NIVCO) crest.
The Veterans Commissioner offers an unbiased voice on behalf of veterans and their households dwelling in Northern Eire on a variety of points, together with well being, housing, welfare and social interplay.
More information about Northern Ireland’s Veterans Commissioner
Scotland
The Scottish Veterans Commissioner works to enhance outcomes and alternatives for veterans and their households in Scotland. This entails influencing policymakers to deal with any adjustments required in devolved public companies.
More information on the Scottish Veterans Commissioner
The Scottish Authorities and its Veterans Unit assist the veterans and their households in Scotland. They will inform you and your subsequent of kin about matters together with housing, education, or employment.
Veterans Help Scotland
Veterans Assist Scotland is a platform created for veterans and Armed Forces households dwelling in Scotland. The web site holds assets assets they may want together with assist discovering the proper faculty or school; choices for locations to stay; having access to a Struggle Disablement pension; and routes into employment.
Wales
Welsh Authorities, public sector our bodies, the tri-Providers, employers and the charitable sector work in partnership to offer data and assist for Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their households in Wales.
Particular data and steering is offered within the following areas:
Grants and funding
Funding and grants can be found for organisations wishing to assist the Armed Forces; nonetheless, they won’t be accessible for particular person assist. In case you require particular and particular person help, please get in contact, and we are going to advise you on the perfect plan of action.
Armed Covenant Fund Belief
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Belief (The Belief) emblem.
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (The Belief) funds tasks that assist the supply of the nation’s covenant promise to our serving personnel, veterans and their households.
The Belief is a charity and is classed as a Non-Departmental Public Physique (NDPB). It administers the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, price £10 million every year.
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund has 4 goals:
1. Offering non-core healthcare companies for veterans
2. Eradicating obstacles to household life
3. Supporting serving personnel and veterans who need assistance
4. Integrating army and civilian communities and permitting the armed forces group to take part as residents
In 2024 the Belief launched its first Covenant Fund funding mannequin primarily based on proof gathered from a wide-ranging session.
Find out more about the funding model
Available funding opportunities
Organisations that have been awarded grant funding
Information about the impact of the Trust’s work
Veterans’s Basis
Veterans’ Basis Brand. Copyright: Veterans’ Basis.
The Veterans’ Foundation was arrange in 2016 to lift funds to assist enhance the lives of all inside the armed forces group who want it. The funds raised are then donated to charities and organisations which have an actual influence on these at present serving, veterans, and their households. These organisations assist a variety of wants, together with psychological well being, bodily remedy and rehabilitation, homelessness and schooling and coaching and extra.
Charities and charitable organisations discover it more and more tough to lift the funds they should proceed their very important and sometimes life-changing work and depend on The Veterans’ Basis for grants to assist them. That was why retired Main Basic David Shaw arrange The Veterans’ Basis in 2016 and why it has grown to be one of many UK’s main army charities.
Its major fundraising car is the Veterans’ Lottery – the biggest single-cause lottery within the UK – that has raised thousands and thousands of kilos and enabled greater than £25 million to be donated to good causes that assist the armed forces group.
Veteran schooling
Excessive Floor
HighGround emblem.
High Ground helps Service leavers, reservists and veterans assess their army expertise and expertise and the way these apply to the land-based sector. It additionally gives many alternatives for employment and self-employment.
Excessive Floor gives Rural Weeks: 5 absolutely residential days at an agricultural school for 8 Service leavers, reservists and veterans to study extra concerning the land-based sector from topic issues specialists.
Households and youngsters
Training assist is offered for veterans and serving households by way of the next programmes:
- Armed Forces Education Trust – for youngsters and younger adults whose schooling has been compromised because of a mother and father’ previous or present Service.
- Reading Force – makes use of studying to convey forces youngsters and households nearer collectively.
- Forces Children Scotland – offers basic assist for youngsters and younger folks from Armed Forces households in Scotland.
- Scotty’s Little Soldiers – Scotty’s Little Troopers is a charity devoted to supporting youngsters and younger folks from 0 to 25 years who’ve skilled the dying of a guardian who served within the British Armed Forces. When a teen joins Scotty’s, they turn out to be a member and are supported till their twenty fifth birthday. Whether or not or not it’s one-to-one bereavement assist, a respite break with the household, a chance to fulfill others in an identical scenario, or entry to extracurricular actions, Scotty’s is all the time there for its members to make sure they don’t really feel alone.
Scotty’s Little Soldier emblem.
Service Charity Sector: Perception and Engagement
The Confederation of Service Charities emblem.
Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities), by way of its membership of Service charities represents the entire serving and Veterans Neighborhood. Go to the Cobseo website the place you can find the freshest information, funding alternatives, assist and transition steering for Veterans and their households.
Veterans Awards
Firms and organisations throughout the UK are celebrated for his or her assist to the Armed Forces group.
The Veterans Awards
The Veterans Awards are open to all Armed Forces veterans, serving reservists and organisations and corporations that assist or make use of folks from the Armed Forces group.
Purposes are open:
- Scottish Veterans Awards: 1 December 2024 – 23 February 2025
- Welsh Veterans Awards: 1 March – 24 Could 2025
- English Veterans Awards – 1 June – 17 August 2025
Soldiering On Awards
The Soldiering On Awards recognise excellent achievement within the Armed Forces group.
Soldiering On Awards opens for nominations
The Soldiering On Awards have opened nominations for 2025, marking 15 years of celebrating the exceptional achievements of the armed forces group.
Since its inception the Soldiering On Awards has showcased the resilience, innovation, and dedication of those that serve or assist our armed forces group.
Nominations at the moment are open in twelve classes, providing alternatives to have fun those that encourage, innovate, and make an enduring distinction. From Household Values and Animal Partnership to Defence Inclusivity, Inspiration, and Enterprise, there’s a class for each story of extraordinary achievement.
Key dates for 2025:
- Nominations open: 9am, 13 January 2025
- Nominations shut: 11:59pm, 30 March 2025
Visit the Soldiering On Awards website to submit your nominations.
Heropreneurs Awards
The Heropreneurs Awards have fun the achievements of the army and veteran group in a industrial atmosphere.
Nominations for the 2025 Heropreneurs Awards at the moment are open. This yr’s ceremony will likely be held on 3 November at The Shard, London.
Read about the categories and submit a nomination
Enquiries
When you have a query about assist and companies accessible to veterans, please contact us.
E-newsletter
Sign up to our monthly newsletter to remain up to date on veterans’ information, supplying you with direct data from across the veteran eco system.
So as to add your updates to the Veterans Information and Communication Hub please contact: CO-COMMS@RFCA.MOD.UK.
