Veterans News and Communications Hub

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 UK’s highly skilled veteran community.

Latest news

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What is a veteran?

Veterans are defined as anyone who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s 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:

• X (Previously Twitter)

• LinkedIn

Veterans’ employment

An employer’s guide to hiring veterans

The employers’ guide to hiring veterans (published by the OVA) was launched by the Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP, 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

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)

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 Group’s 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 member’s 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

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 Majesty’s 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 for 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 10,000 organisations have committed to improving the lives of service people and their families, with John Lewis becoming the latest signatory to mark this major milestone.

Since 2011, when the concept was enshrined into law, the covenant reinforced the moral obligation between nation, government and Armed Forces which has since seen UK organisations of all sizes commit to treating our Armed Forces Personnel, and their families, fairly.

In addition to fostering commitments to the covenant, the government has committed millions of pounds in funding to ensure veterans’ mental health, accommodation, and childcare, among other issues, is well catered for and funded.

Read more about Forces Friendly employers.

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Read the full story here.

Veterans and small businesses

Veterans: A Force for Business

X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) and the Federation of Small Business (FSB) have collaborated extensively over the last few years, beginning with an insightful report into the business landscape for service leavers: A Force For Business.

The report highlights the contribution of the UK’s veteran population to the small business sector, with 6% of small business owned by veterans in Great Britain. However the report shows that there is scope for this to be increased, greater numbers of veterans starting, growing or working in Great Britain’s millions of small businesses would see benefits for individuals, businesses and communities.

Veterans’ support

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.

Find your local AFVBC.

Forces Pension Society

The Forces Pension Society is an independent, not-for-profit membership funded organisation. They act as a pension watchdog for the whole Armed Forces community and raise awareness about the complexities and benefits of their Armed Forces Pension.The Society empowers its members to make better, well-informed choices about their Armed Forces Pension, and provide members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes and their partners with personalised pension guidance.

They also work in collaboration with government to ensure the appropriate delivery of your pension, and run a series of roadshows and other educational sessions to better prepare the Armed Forces community on all pension matters.

More information about the Forces Pension Society.

HM Armed Forces Veteran ID Card

Veterans from across the UK can now apply for their veterans ID Card. The roll-out, which started in January, enables veterans to apply for their card digitally. 

The new digital verification service includes:

• online applications via GOV.UK
• identity checks using GOV.UK’s new One Login service
• automated service checking to confirm veteran status for most applications using MOD service records databases
• increasing MOD’s secure card-printing capacity to deal with the expected applications using a new high-capacity card printing machine

A paper-based application process is also available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.

Find out more about the Veteran ID card.

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 and the devolved nations

Northern Ireland

The Veterans Commissioner provides an independent voice on behalf of veterans and their families living in Northern Ireland on a range of issues, including health, housing, welfare and social interaction.

More information about Northern Ireland’s Veterans Commissioner

A new era for veterans’ services in Northern Ireland

As of April 2023, the Veterans Welfare Service for Northern Ireland has expanded its offerings to all veterans, regardless of their service background.

In recent years, veterans’ services in Northern Ireland have undergone a significant transformation. Traditionally, veterans in this region have been a hidden community, often concealing their service careers due to security concerns encountered during ‘the Troubles’ or Operation Banner.

Read the full story here.

Scotland

The Scottish Veterans Commissioner works to improve outcomes and opportunities for veterans and their families in Scotland. This involves influencing policymakers to address any changes required in devolved public services.

More information on the Scottish Veterans Commissioner

Wales

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Grants and funding

Funding and grants are available for organisations wishing to support the Armed Forces; however, they will not be available for individual support. If you require specific and individual assistance, please get in touch, and we will advise you on the best course of action.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) supports the Armed Forces Covenant by delivering funding programmes that create real change to Armed Forces communities across the UK.

The Trust is a charity and are classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body, or NDPB. The Trust looks after the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, worth £10m each year.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund has four broad funding themes now and in future years.

1.  non-core healthcare services for veterans

2.  removing barriers to family life

3.  extra support, both in and after Service, for those who need help

4.  measures to integrate military and civilian communities and allow the Armed Forces community to participate as citizens

Find out more about eligibility and grant support

Grants from the Veterans’ Foundation

Legion Scotland have been awarded £12k from the Veterans’ Foundation. This is to allow Legion Scotland’s Veterans Community Support Service to begin planning for their service users living with isolation and loneliness to attend a Pilgrimage in 2024.

To apply, visit the Veterans’ Foundation website 
 
Detailed guidance is available under ‘Apply for a grant’, including which documents to provide. Contact grants@veteransfoundation.org.uk with further enquiries.

Veteran education

High Ground

High Ground helps service leavers, reservists and veterans assess their military skills and experience and how these apply to the land-based sector. It also offers many opportunities for employment and self-employment.

High Ground offers Rural Weeks: 5 fully residential days at an agricultural college for 8 service leavers, reservists and veterans to learn more about the land-based sector from subject matters experts.

Service Charity Sector: Insight and Engagement

Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities), through its membership of service charities represents the whole serving and Veterans Community. Visit the Cobseo website where you will find the most up to date news, funding opportunities, help and transition guidance for Veterans and their families.

Families and children

Education support is available for veterans and serving families through the following programmes:

• Armed Forces Education Trust - for children and young adults whose education has been compromised as a result of a parents’ past or current service
• Reading Force - uses reading to bring forces children and families closer together
• Forces Children Scotland - provides general support for children and young people from Armed Forces families in Scotland

Service Charity Sector: Insight and Engagement

Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities), through its membership of service charities represents the whole serving and Veterans Community. Visit the Cobseo website where you will find the most up to date news, funding opportunities, help and transition guidance for Veterans and their families.

Veterans Awards

Companies and organisations across the UK are celebrated for their support to the Armed Forces community.

The Veterans Awards are open to all Armed Forces veterans, serving reservists and organisations and companies that support or employ people from the Armed Forces community.

English Veterans Awards: 23 October 2024

Applications open: 1 June 2024 to 17 August 2024

Northern Ireland Veterans Awards: 23 October 2024

Applications open: 1 July 2024 until 15 September 2024.

Welsh Veterans Awards

The Welsh Veterans Awards were hosted by Polly James and held at the 4* Vale Resort, Cardiff. The awards were sponsored by Vindico, in support of the Army Benevolent Fund, and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

These were the fifth and largest Welsh Veterans Awards to date.

For more information and the winners, please visit: Welcome to our Winners at this year’s Welsh Veterans Awards 2024.

Soldiering On Awards

The Soldiering On Awards recognise outstanding achievement in the Armed Forces community.

Heropreneurs Awards

The Heropreneurs Awards celebrate the achievements of the military community in a commercial environment.

The 2024 winners will be announced on 14 November 2024 at the awards ceremony in The Shard, London.

Contact us

FAQs

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Newsletter

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To add your updates to the Veterans News and Communication Hub please contact: CO-COMMS@RFCA.MOD.UK.

Related content

• New Employer Engagement Handbook
• OVA
• Defence Relationship Management
• Cobseo - the Confederation of Service Charities
• The Strategy for our Veterans
• Veterans Fact Sheet 2020
• An employers’ guide to hiring Veterans
• Supporting veterans’ transition to civilian life through employment
• Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club
• Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner
• Scottish Veterans Commissioner
• Wales Veterans- CommissionerArmed Forces and Veterans