Supporting military families into work

Employers are being encouraged to recruit family members of serving military personnel.

The Capitalising on Military Family Talent toolkit explains how businesses can take steps to employ and retain wives, husbands and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.

The toolkit has been produced by the Scottish Government in partnership with the Welsh Government and the charity Business in the Community.

It has been introduced because family members of military personnel can face significant barriers to employment including relocation at short notice, being apart from families during deployments and having primary caring responsibilities.

The toolkit encourages businesses to recognise the skills and experience of military family members such as resilience, problem-solving and good communication.

And it suggests updating recruitment policies to reduce the risk of bias against military family members, developing flexible working practices including remote working and introducing and advertising dedicated support for military family members.

Minister for Veterans Graeme Dey said:

“I am committed to continuing to work with employers and partners to boost career opportunities for the family members of Armed Forces personnel and veterans.

“I’ve seen first-hand the range of valuable skills and attributes they bring to workplaces across Scotland and I want to see more employers, large and small, from across all sectors, accessing these skills.

“Employers can benefit significantly from the extensive range of skills and experience military families offer and this toolkit helps companies recruit and retain these talented individuals.

“This initiative will help military families secure fulfilling, sustainable employment and it will also help employers better understand and appreciate the value and experience these individuals bring to the workplace.”

The Welsh Government’s Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Hannah Blythyn said:

“The wives, husbands and partners of Serving personnel have a wealth of experience and skills. They have to be resilient and flexible which is an asset for any company.

“This toolkit will help employers to understand the value military families can bring to their business and I hope it will lead to some excellent employment opportunities.”

Director of Employment and Skills at Business in the Community Nicola Inge said:

“Military family members have a range of essential, transferable skills that would benefit any workforce, but the nature of the military lifestyle can make it difficult for them to gain and sustain work. In this last year, we have seen the importance of flexible working and supporting employees juggling life at work and at home. By adopting the same flexibility, employers could experience the benefits of military family talent.”

Background

Read Capitalising on Military Family Talent

The guide is a supplement to the Capitalising on Military Talent toolkit published in 2017 which encourages employers to recruit talented veterans.

A survey conducted by the Warwick Institute for Employment of 1,491 military spouses and partners found that 23% of military partners are not in employment.