Armed Forces: Ex-service Personnel

House of Lords written question – answered at on 29 October 2012.

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Photo of Lord Jones of Cheltenham Lord Jones of Cheltenham Liberal Democrat

To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial assistance they are offering ex-service personnel to help them acquire new skills.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of foreign systems of linking service veterans with organisations specialising in retraining, such as the Help a Hero, Hire a Hero scheme.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Ministry of Defence is taking to facilitate businesses' access to ex-servicemen.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings have been held across Government on service veteran employability.

Photo of Lord Astor of Hever Lord Astor of Hever The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

Making the transition from the Armed Forces into civilian life can be daunting. We therefore remain committed to supporting service leavers in taking this important step. During their service, all personnel develop many valuable and transferable skills but it is also acknowledged that a service leaver may need to acquire new skills to prepare for the civilian workforce.

The majority of service leavers qualify for the level of resettlement assistance which is associated with their length of service, including a grant of £534. They can combine that grant with government sponsored enhanced learning credits, up to £2,000 per annum for a maximum of three years, to help towards the cost of resettlement training activities. This allows better targeted public funding where the learning leads to the same outcome; namely, a nationally recognised qualification the service leaver can use to gain civilian employment. Other elements of the resettlement programme include: a three-day career transition workshop, the use of a career consultant, access to a job finding service, up to 35 days retraining time, access to a wide range of accredited vocational training courses and workshops, and resettlement support up to two years after leaving.

All service leavers, including those who leave early, are entitled to lifetime support from the Regular Forces Employment Association and Officers Association charities, both of which are specifically focused on getting veterans into the right job.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) has engaged with different foreign governments to understand their transition policies and systems, but has not undertaken a formal assessment of these systems.

Business access to service leavers is facilitated through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), a partnering arrangement between the MoD and Right Management Ltd. The CTP will work with organisations from the commercial, public and voluntary/community sectors to promote their employment services and employment vacancies to personnel leaving the Armed Forces. The CTP service lasts up to two years after individuals have left the military. Ninety-two per cent of ex-service personnel who transition through the CTP report that they are in employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. This figure rises to 97% after 12 months. The CTP also hosts employment and training fairs for service leavers to attend and businesses to exhibit nationwide and throughout the year.

MoD officials regularly meet Department for Education, Business Innovation and Skills, and Department of Work and Pensions colleagues regarding initiatives to assist service leavers in making a successful transition to civilian life. Meetings are also held with other government departments and devolved Administrations as the need arises.

In September, the Prime Minister appointed Lord Ashcroft to be his special representative for veterans' transition. Lord Ashcroft will take a fresh look at the package in place for personnel leaving the Armed Forces, liaising with charities, industry and government departments, and championing the cause of service men and women making the transition to civilian life.

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