logo
logo

Are you a member of the armed forces covenant?

Veteran UK makes networking with Ex military simple! If you are looking to engage with this valuable audience and showcase your company, we can help.

There are two guiding principles of the covenant, which state regular and reserve forces personnel, as well as veterans should:

  • Not be disadvantaged in any way with regard to the provision of public and commercial services, compared to other citizens.

While the Covenant Legal Duty, which has been in force since November 2022, means public bodies have an obligation to uphold it, many organisations sign the covenant voluntarily. This demonstrates their commitment to the armed forces community and the principles of the covenant.

What’s covered by the Armed Forces Covenant?

The Armed Forces Covenant offers provision for regular and reservist military personnel; service families; the bereaved; and service leavers and veterans. Every situation is different, with unique challenges faced by each member of the military, but the covenant can help in a variety of ways.

These include accessing housing, healthcare, financial support and obtaining gainful civilian employment. There’s also advice available on wider issues associated with the transition into the general population for those leaving the armed forces.

Choose an employer or recruiter that has signed the covenant

When looking for employment as a veteran, it’s worth being aware of whether a business has signed the covenant. There are a number of benefits of working with an organisation that has expressly shown its awareness for those who have served. These include:

  • A commitment to offering interviews to veterans who meet the minimum criteria for a role.
  • Understanding military skills and qualifications, with a desire to recognise them as equivalent
to those obtained as a civilian.
  • Recruitment practices include working with armed forces initiatives and service-friendly businesses like Veteran UK.
  • Making special dispensations for reservists, so they can meet training or deployment commitments.
  • Flexibility with holiday requests to take a spouse or family member’s service schedule into consideration.

Businesses that recruit from within the armed forces community know they’ll have access to transferable skills , high levels of professionalism and self discipline that’s not common within
the civilian workforce. Therefore, signing the covenant shows a desire to promote a mutually
beneficial relationship between employer and candidate.

The Armed Forces Covenant for veterans

The covenant can help service leavers make the transition to civilian life, but can also point veterans in the direction for support no matter how long it’s been since you left the military. Under its framework, veterans can be confident the covenant will protect their dignity and ensure they receive fair treatment.

Whether you’re preparing to leave the military or have already left, it’s worth signing up to attend a Veteran UK expo. These face-to-face events put you in a good position to plan your next career step, taking into account your unique service experience.

You can also browse the latest security cleared jobs , which can be particularly relevant and lucrative for veterans.