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 HisHer 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.

Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan

Top commitments in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan include:

• employment and skills

• healthcare

• understanding the veteran community

You can download the full report.

• Half a million pounds of research funding set to boost understanding of veteran needs

Partnering with defence

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

Join CTP for one of their 2022 employment fairs. View upcoming dates and register

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)

Why hiring veterans is good for business

Employer Voices

Employer Voices - Jaguar Land Rover

Our Employer Voices Campaign is led by the voices of our forces-friendly employers from the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme.

In the first series, Jaguar Land Rover, HSBC, BNY Mellon and Thames Valley Police lent their voices to the campaign, providing authoritative business-led reasons why they hire veterans and why others should do the same.

The full series is accessible via the Defence Relationship Management YouTube channel.

Veterans and small business

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.

As proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, and with XFE attaining the Gold Award MOD Employer Recognition Scheme Award in 2017, both organisations have made a commitment to recognising the value that service leavers, serving reservists, veterans and military families bring to the UK small business community; FSB members and XFE beneficiaries alike.

Ren Kapur MBE (Founder and CEO, X-Forces Enterprise) said:

Military service; the education, the knowledge and the experiences this provides individuals, is a wonderful foundation on which they can build their own career in self-employment or business ownership.

Download the report.

Veteran owned business success stories.

Continued dedication to service

RE:ACT to provide 500 Games Responders for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

RE:ACT will provide 500 trained Games Responders for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games taking place this summer, following the humanitarian organisation’s appointment as an Official Military Veteran Provider.

The RE:ACT Games Responders will be drawn from its member community, which consists predominantly of military veterans and emergency services personnel. They will bring their skills in public engagement to support the security workforce at four venues, helping to make Birmingham 2022 a safe and memorable experience for everyone attending.

Nick Knight, Birmingham 2022 Director of Security, said:

Being a veteran myself, and understanding the hardships our military personnel endure upon leaving the military, any opportunity to showcase veterans’ skills, mindset and discipline is an opportunity we cannot miss. This partnership with RE:ACT is innovative and groundbreaking as it has never been considered in previous Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham 2022 have signed up to the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and have achieved the Bronze award so this initiative demonstrates our commitment to those who have loyally served our country and now seek future opportunities.

Read more about this ground-breaking initiative: RE:ACT to provide 500 Games Responders for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

RE:ACT Volunteers have been supporting vital frontline services and vulnerable communities throughout the UK

RE:ACT Volunteers use military skills to provide life-saving support around the world to those most in need. Paul Taylor (RE:ACT Operations Response Manager) and Caroline Bull (former Combat Medical Technician and RE:ACT Volunteer) explain how RE:ACT harness the hard won skills of the UK’s veteran population.

RE:ACT explainer video

Service Charity Sector: Insight and Engagement

RFEA works together with Amazon to support Forces employment

RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity has signed a three-year agreement with Amazon Global Military Affairs as part of its enduring commitment to support the military community into employment. Testament to the already strong relationship with RFEA is the recent launch of the AWS Military Technical Account Manager Program (MTAMP), which was created in consultation with TechVets. MTAMP provides a structured path for veterans to become employed in technical roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Blake Roberts joined the MTAMP after being medically discharged from the Army following a 9-year career. He said:

I become increasingly interested in cloud technology and was looking to try and get into that space, however, I lacked the necessary experience. When I found out about the MTAMP, via TechVets, I was immediately interested and excited to be able to pursue my dream career in cloud technology. I was blown away on Day 1, everyone was very welcoming and supportive, as a new starter coming from a different world, that means a lot. I am very excited about my future with AWS.

Read more about the Amazon collaboration.

Service leavers, veterans and reservists to see enhanced support following combination of employment services

2 of the UK’s largest and most respected military charities intend to combine their employment related work, beginning an exciting new chapter in their history.

The Officers’ Association (OA) and RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity (RFEA) are working together to create a single charity to provide exceptional career support to all Service leavers, veterans, reservists, and their families.

Read more about how the collaboration will offer enhanced support to veterans, reservists and service leavers.

https://youtu.be/yF_Zkp5EB0A

Read the full transcript: Forces in Mind Trust video transcript (ODT, 8.96 KB)

This film by Forces in Mind Trust provides an overview and analysis of the Armed Forces charities sector. The film is based on the findings of the Sector Insight: Armed Forces Charities report, from the Directory of Social Change (DSC) and is funded by Forces in Mind Trust. For further information, please read the full Armed Forces Charities report.

https://youtu.be/yF_Zkp5EB0A

Read the full transcript: Forces in Mind Trust video transcript (ODT, 8.96 KB)

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.

Related content

• New Employer Engagement Handbook
• Office for Veterans Affairs
• Defence Relationship Management
• Cobseo
• The Strategy for our Veterans
• Veterans Fact Sheet 2020
• A Force for Business: Service Leavers and Small Business
• Supporting veterans’ transition to civilian life through employment