Supporting veterans into employment

A project to recruit veterans into the private sector and harness their unique skills and experience has been launched today [Monday, 24th October] by Veterans Minister Keith Brown.

The Supporting Veterans into Employment initiative encourages businesses of all sizes and sectors to proactively recruit and benefit from employing veterans in the civilian workforce and will be delivered by Business in the Community, with funding from the Scottish Government.

A best practice toolkit for recruiting ex-forces personnel will be drawn up between organisations that support veterans employment, and a series of events will be held to enable employers to network, share ideas, and connect with veterans and the Armed Forces community.

The summit, hosted by Business in the Community and attended by His Royal Highness Prince Charles at Dumfries House, also promoted a virtual jobs fair for veterans developed by Salute My Job, funded by the Scottish Government’s Scottish Veterans Fund. Attending the summit, Mr Brown said:

“Veterans are a significant asset to Scottish businesses. They offer employers a huge amount, through their unique skills sets, training and experience.

“Unfortunately, employers often miss out on the talent offered by veterans as recruitment practices can fail to recognise this valuable experience – experience that could help employers facing recruitment, retention and skills shortage challenges.

“This initiative is designed to address this by harnessing the energy and expertise of supportive employers to champion veterans in the workplace and encourage the private sector as a whole to become more veteran friendly.

“Many businesses – large and small - are realising the benefits of employing veterans and I encourage employers across Scotland to get involved.”

Jane Wood, Managing Director of Business in the Community Scotland, commented:

“Business in the Community Scotland is supporting the Scottish Government's strategic approach to Supporting Veterans into Employment by brokering the relationship between our network of responsible businesses and the ex-Service men and women whose skills and attributes offer such a significant resource to Scotland's economy and communities. Our partnership with veterans organisations such as SaluteMyJob and Scottish Veterans Employment and Training Service (SVETS) builds on our existing engagement in wider civic Scotland, and continues the growth of Scotland's responsible business movement."