IT’S of no surprise that a significant proportion of the people of Herefordshire have links to the Armed Forces.
It may be of greater surprise to learn that in the Census for 2021, it was reported that we had 9,600 veterans in our county of which 48 per cent are of working age. Within this data, there is little variation between the highest level of qualification held between veterans and nonveterans within Herefordshire.
However, veterans are less likely to have no qualifications compared to non-veterans (15 per cent vs 18 per cent) and more likely to have “other” qualifications (14 per cent vs eight per cent).
With this data in mind, what can we as a community do to support the upskilling and reskilling of our veterans to support their long-term employment within the county?
Many businesses are now supporting the Armed Forces Covenant, and pledging their support to the Veteran community, but are we seeing this in action?
Military personnel have many transferable skills that can add significant value to an organisation, but there remains an employment barrier based on a lack of understanding of these skills and how military experience can lend itself to supporting commercial growth for local businesses. On top of this, many military leavers do not realise their value and what this could mean for an organisation that may employ them in the future.
NMITE, a Gold Award holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme, has actively sought to reduce this barrier, and holds an annual Military to Business Showcase, introducing veterans and serving military personnel to local businesses.
We also employ veterans and support our employees who are also Adult Cadet Volunteers or Reservists.
NMITE have developed bespoke workshops to deliver Business Start-Up support & Career Development days, offering alternative pathways to the veterans within the community, with the ambition of retaining this top talent within the county.
Whilst we know more businesses are signing the Armed Forces Covenant, I would like to see more Hereford organisations stepping up to provide meaningful opportunities with successful career pathways for our veterans.
Samantha Lewis
Director of people and operations, NMITE
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