Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
The Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire other organisations to do the same.
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Details
About the scheme
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
The ERS is designed primarily to recognise private sector support although public sector organisations such as the emergency services, local authorities, NHS trusts and executive agencies are also eligible to be recognised.
Pledge your organisation’s support via the Bronze award or express your interest in a Silver or Gold award via the links below.
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Bronze award
Bronze award holders:
- are self-nominated by employers who pledge to support the armed forces, including existing or prospective employees who are members of the community
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- promote being armed forces-friendly and are open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners
- receive an electronic certificate and logos to display on their website, stationery and other collateral
View the ERS Bronze award holders
Silver award
Silver award holders:
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- must already be accredited as a holder of ERS Bronze Award and must have held it with sufficient time to develop suitable plans, policies and evidence to support the ERS Silver application - the employer must proactively demonstrate that service personnel and the armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes
- must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues - e.g. an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally-publicised and positive HR policy on Reserves
- within the context of Reserves, the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place, demonstrating support to training by providing at least 5 days’ additional unpaid/paid leave (wherever possible not to Reservist employees’ financial disadvantage)
- must not have been the subject of any negative PR or media activity
- the employer should demonstrate support to the Cadet movement as a whole by providing proactive support to individual cadets and/or to local cadet units
View the 2024 ERS Silver Award Holders
Gold award
Gold award holders:
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- employers must have an existing relationship with their National Account Manager/Regional Employer Engagement Director/appropriate defence representative
- the employer must already be accredited as a holder of ERS Silver Award and must have held it with sufficient time to develop suitable plans, policies and evidence to support the ERS Gold application
- the employer must proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting and selection processes; be engaged with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in the recruitment of service leavers, and have registered for the Forces Families Jobs (FFJ) portal
- the employer must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues - e.g. an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive human resources policy on Reserves
- the employer must be an exemplar within their market sector, advocating support to defence people issues to partner organisations, suppliers and customers with tangible positive results
- within the context of Reserves the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place, and must provide at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
- the employer must actively encourage a positive environment for Reservists by ensuring that positive policies in support of Reservists within the workforce are communicated to line managers
- the employer must not have been the subject of any negative public relations or media activity
- the employer should be an exemplar in demonstrating support to the Cadet movement, e.g. through mentoring cadets in key employment skills, by providing guaranteed interviews for cadets, by direct investment in equipment and infrastructure for a local cadet unit, or by funding and sponsoring competitions, events, and specific activities for cadets such as overseas expeditions
- the employer promotes volunteering with the cadet forces from their workforce by providing additional leave for employees who are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs)
View the 2024 ERS Gold award holders
Nomination and award process
Employers can sign up themselves for each award.
Nominations will be validated to determine the level of defence personnel employment within the nominated organisation and to check that the organisation has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.
Once the nomination has been validated it will be considered by a selection board at national level for gold awards and regional level for silver awards. The selection boards will be a panel chaired by a senior military officer and they will consider each nomination against the award criteria. Organisations selected for gold and silver awards will be formally notified in writing and invited to the relevant award event.
Related information:
Updates to this page
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Updated 'ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2025' and 'ERS silver award holders - 2015 to 2025'.
Update history
2025-09-05 10:51
Updated Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award application form link.
2025-09-03 16:29
The ERS list for both bronze and silver has been updated.
2025-08-01 15:27
Updated ‘ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2025’ and ‘ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2025’.
2025-07-23 10:16
Updated: ‘ERS gold award holders – 2015 to 2025’ and ‘ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2025’.
2025-07-21 09:50
Added 2025 Gold Award winners to ‘ERS gold award holders – 2015 to 2025’
2025-02-21 16:03
Updated ‘ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2025’.
2024-12-05 16:50
Updated: ERS gold, silver and bronze award holders lists.
2024-12-04 11:38
Added links to the 2025 Silver and Gold Award Expression of Interest forms.
2024-11-20 16:29
Updated ‘ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2024’ and ‘ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2024’.
2024-10-07 15:41
Updated ‘ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2024’.
2024-09-23 12:03
Updated: ERS gold award holders – 2015 to 2024.
2024-09-04 13:47
Updated: ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2024.
2024-08-22 09:52
Updated: ERS gold and silver award holders – 2015 to 2024.
2024-08-22 09:25
Updated: ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2023.
2024-08-22 09:05
Updated: ERS gold award holders – 2015 to 2023.
2024-08-07 09:55
Updated: ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2024.
2024-06-27 15:54
Updated: ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2024.
2024-05-22 15:39
The ERS Bronze award holders list has been updated.
2024-03-20 14:43
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2024 Silver Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now closed.
2024-02-20 11:09
The list of ERS Bronze holders has been updated.
2024-02-14 09:30
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2024 Gold Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now closed.
2023-12-15 16:51
The ERS bronze awards holders list has been updated.
2023-11-30 13:20
Added links for nominations for the ERS Silver and Gold awards.
2023-11-29 11:28
Removed ‘Defence Employer Recognition Scheme’ as this information is available under ‘Details’.
2023-11-23 11:10
Updated ‘Defence Employer Recognition Scheme’.
2023-11-09 10:15
The ERS Bronze list has been updated.
2023-11-07 11:44
The ERS bronze list has been updated.
2023-10-18 14:09
ERS Bronze List 2023 has been updated.
2023-08-29 16:48
The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated.
2023-08-29 15:45
The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated
2023-08-08 14:48
The ERS Bronze list 2023 has been updated.
2023-08-07 15:41
The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated.
2023-08-02 14:42
The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated.
2023-07-26 14:51
The ERS Silvers 2023 holders list has been updated
2023-07-24 14:08
ERS gold holders has been updated
2023-07-24 11:55
View the ERS Gold awards updated
2023-07-14 16:24
Updated: ‘ERS gold award holders – 2015 to 2023’.
2023-07-12 01:00
The Gold Award Holder list has been updated.
2023-07-05 15:50
Updated: ERS silver award holders – 2015 to 2023.
2023-07-04 10:51
ERS Bronze Award holders list has been updated
2023-04-06 00:00
Updated: ‘Silver award’ section in ‘Defence Employer Recognition Scheme’.
2023-03-13 14:31
Bronze award holder list updated.
2023-03-02 09:54
Added an update for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award.
2023-02-22 16:53
Bronze award holder list has been updated.
2023-02-15 15:40
Bronze award holder list updated.
2023-02-01 10:56
Updates have been made to the bronze award holder list.
2023-01-25 14:46
ERS Bronze holder spreadsheet has been updated.
2023-01-18 11:52
Updated list of bronze award holders
2023-01-10 09:30
Updated ‘Defence Employer Recognition Scheme’ with nomination details for the Employer Recognition Scheme.
2022-12-14 10:49
Updated list of bronze ERS holders.
2022-12-09 10:39
Updated list of ERS bronze holders
2022-12-02 13:42
Updated list of bronze holders
2022-11-25 10:46
Updated list of bronze award holders
2022-11-18 12:15
Updated list of bronze award holders
2022-11-11 11:55
Updated list of bronze ERS holders
2022-11-02 16:27
List of Bronze award holders updated.
2022-10-27 09:47
ERS Bronze holders updated
2022-10-14 15:00
Updated list of bronze ERS award holders
2022-09-27 14:55
Updated list of bronze holders
2022-09-22 15:45
Updated bronze award holders
2022-09-07 12:14
Updated ERS Bronze holders
2022-08-23 16:07
ERS bronze holders updated
2022-08-19 14:00
ERS 2022 Silver holders updated
2022-08-18 14:32
ERS Bronze holders updated
2022-08-09 15:06
‘ERS bronze award holders – 2015 to 2022’ updated.
2022-07-21 13:47
Updated list of Bronze award holders
2022-07-15 12:34
Updated with 2022 gold winners
2022-07-01 09:57
Updated bronze award holders
2022-06-23 15:05
Updated list of Bronze winners
2022-05-23 11:33
Updated list of Bronze ERS winners
2022-05-05 11:18
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
2022-04-19 15:35
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
2022-04-01 13:10
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
2022-04-01 10:38
Updated content for: Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
2022-03-23 16:07
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
2022-02-25 15:25
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
2022-02-18 12:20
Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders