Dr Andrew Murrison MP (pictured), the UK minister for defence people, veterans and service families, has at the CTP [Career Transition Partnership] Employer Forum, called on employers to employ service leavers, as ex-service personnel bring a diverse range of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills to the workplace, he says.

According to the CTP Employer Forum, his call to action comes as the latest Census data has confirmed that almost one in 25 of the total population aged 16 and over (3.8%) living in England and Wales has previously served in the armed forces (Scotland will publish its data in 2023).

The CTP conference takes place each year as part of an agreement between the Ministry of Defence and talent solutions firm Right Management to help the thousands of people who leave the military each year transition to civilian life – and which is beneficial to the UK economy.

The CTP programme claims a high success rate – over 96% of the UK service leavers transitioning via the CTP and seeking employment are settled into a new civilian job role within six months of leaving the services. To date, more than 240,000 ex-service personnel have been supported by the programme in just over 20 years.

Adrian Peters, operations director, CTP, said: “Service leavers are an indispensable part of the UK’s civilian workforce, offering extensive transferable skills for a broad range of sectors, including engineering, renewables, logistics, finance and construction. At a time when businesses are struggling to plug skills gaps, service leavers can, and should, be part of the solution.”

Dr Murrison added: “We know that more than 14,000 people leave the UK’s armed forces every year, many of whom are ‘work-ready’ and highly motivated individuals with exceptional skills in areas such as leadership, communication and teamwork.

“No matter what size of business you operate or the sector; if you haven’t already considered Service leavers as a recruitment option before, we urge you to come forward and find out more.”

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