Several government departments are starting a new initiative today to make it easier for veterans to secure employment in the civil service.
The scheme is designed to encourage more veterans to join the Civil Service when they leave the armed forces ensuring the civil service is able to benefit from the wide ranging skills and talents in the armed forces community. It will also boost the employment prospects of those who have served, helping them to advance their careers beyond the armed forces.
The initiative, known as the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’, delivers on a manifesto commitment and is the most recent step in a wider commitment from the government to make the Civil Service a more welcoming place for veterans.
As of this week, recruitment campaigns in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, including UK Border Force, will include a specific option for veterans. Any veteran who opts into the scheme and meets the minimum criteria required for a role will be guaranteed to move to the next stage of selection, such as an interview or online test.
James said -
During my time working for the Ministry of Defence, I met ex-service personnel employed by the civil service who brought invaluable skills and experience into government.
I am delighted that the Office for Veteran Affairs is making a difference by creating more opportunities for our ex-servicemen and women."
The new scheme expands on the Going Forward into Employment Programme, which helps veterans and their spouses into junior roles in the Civil Service. This new scheme will open up roles at all levels across the Civil Service and in locations right across the United Kingdom.
There is no time limit for on when veterans can use the initiative after leaving the armed forces.
The Office for Veteran Affairs (OVA)
The work of the OVA includes:
- Pulling together all functions of government, and better coordinating charity sector provision, in order to ensure this nation’s life-long duty to those who have served
- Ensuring that every single veteran and their family knows where to turn to access support when required
- Helping to generate a ‘single view of the veteran’ by making better use of data to understand veterans’ needs and where gaps in provision exist
- Improving the perception of veterans
