Friday 7th February 2020
The initiative, launched by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in the Cabinet Office will boost the employment prospects of those who have served in the British Armed Forces.
The move fulfills a manifesto pledge and will see veterans applying for posts in the civil service guaranteed the opportunity to be interviewed.
Guaranteed interviews for veterans will start from spring this year with pilots in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, including UK Border Force, all of which were keen to be part of the pilot as they believe veterans will bring the skills and experience they need.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Oliver Dowden, who represents the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) in Cabinet said:
“The end of military service should not mean an end to serving our great country. From teamwork to problem-solving, our veterans have incredible skills and experience that employers on civvy street, and indeed Whitehall, are crying out for.
“I want to see even more of our ex-servicemen and women join the public sector so we all benefit from their talents. Today we are delivering on another manifesto promise to veterans and guaranteeing interviews for civil service jobs.”
Some ex-service personnel already work in the civil service, bringing invaluable skills and experience learnt from the armed forces to the 430,000-strong workforce.
The new scheme builds on the Going Forward into Employment Programme, which launched its veterans initiative last month and helps veterans and their spouses into civil service junior roles. Today’s announcement paves the way for many more veterans to secure government roles at all levels.
Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, Johnny Mercer, said:
“Those who’ve worked in the British Armed Forces are among the brightest and the best, and so it is right we draw upon this talent.
“Service personnel are agile, strategic and excellent team players – a guaranteed interview will shine a light on these skills and help boost job prospects.”
There will not be a time limit for those leaving service and when they can take up the guaranteed interview offer. Applicants will need to meet basic minimum criteria during the selection stage.
The employment boosting announcement delivers on a manifesto commitment and is part of a range of government pledges to help veterans including ending repeated and vexatious claims against them, better job prospects, better access to services from government, and cheaper train travel.
Last month, the government announced the new Veterans Railcard will be launched providing cheaper train travel to former servicemen and women this autumn.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs was set up in July coordinating all government departments to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Responding to the Government’s announcement that veterans will be guaranteed interviews for some public sector jobs, Air Vice-Marshal Ray Lock CBE, Chief Executive at the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), says:
“The guaranteed interview initiative is a positive step forward to removing disadvantage. Negative stereotypes can prevent ex-Service personnel accessing the same employment opportunities as their civilian counterparts. Studies consistently show that organizations who do employ veterans are highly positive about the extra value they bring. So such misperceptions damage not only the individual, but also UK business.
“With this guaranteed interview initiative, the Civil Service is taking an important and valuable step towards providing equality of access to employment for ex-Service personnel whilst meeting the intent of the UK Armed Forces Covenant. The public sector is setting a good example that all, not just some, within the private sector, could follow.”
