THE CONCORDAT To Support Veterans into Civilian Employment in Scotland

Foreword

It is with pleasure I introduce this Concordat to support service leavers, veterans and their families living in Scotland into good quality civilian employment. Scotland has a long and distinguished military tradition, and as a country we hold our Armed Forces and their families in exceptionally high regard.

We want Scotland to be the destination of choice for veterans, and believe that Scotland offers a supportive and desirable long-term home for the Armed Forces community. We pride ourselves in Scotland that we are a small nation that works together to provide the best care and support.

The report by The Veterans' Commissioner^[1] in 2016 made 19 recommendations to improve the experience of veterans and early service leavers seeking civilian employment. One of the recommendations was to establish a Veterans Employability Strategic Group (VESG). This was set up by the Scottish Government in October 2017, and is chaired by Mark Bibbey of PoppyScotland. The creation of VESG has been welcomed by the sector. Mark Bibbey has successfully led the group in achieving important progress to improve the experiences that armed forces leavers have of the employability services in Scotland and the opportunities they can access. This Concordat signifies the commitment to continue this work for the benefit of veterans, early service leavers and their families.

I would like to thank all the signatories and supporters of this Concordat for their support and commitment, and for their continued dedication going forward.

Graeme Dey MSP
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans

27th September 2018