Employer Engagement

A great time to show your support by signing the Armed Forces Covenant

The Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of many groups in society, a shift in our attitude towards care workers, delivery drivers and shop workers, and many others.  This also has brought home the role the Armed Forces plays in the modern world.  Although it’s not always seen or heavily reported on, the role of our soldiers, sailors and air personnel has always…

Shropshire hospital gets £6 million grant in boost for veteran healthcare

The UK’s first dedicated orthopaedic centre for Armed Forces veterans is to be built in Shropshire – thanks to a remarkable £6 million charitable grant. The centre is to go up at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH), a world-renowned organisation based near Oswestry. The hospital had initially launched a £1.5 million appeal in October 2018 to…

Armed forces provide support to public services in coronavirus outbreak

The Defence Secretary has announced a COVID Support Force to assist public services with the response to the coronavirus outbreak.  As of 23rd March, there are 250 personnel deployed to assist civil authorities with the response.  They form part of 20,000 armed forces personnel currently stood at readiness to take part. The armed forces have contributed dozens of specialist military planners to Local…

Record number of companies supporting the region’s Armed Forces

This week was a notable achievement for West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA) region as Love Your Postcode Ltd became the 500th company within the West Midlands region to sign the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) and pledge their support to the Armed Forces family. The AFC was introduced by the Ministry of Defence in 2014 and is used across the country…

Employers set their sights on top Defence awards

Our Association’s Employer Engagement team delivered two separate Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Workshops during January for those employers who submitted expressions of interest for the silver and gold level awards under the scheme. This years’ workshops were kindly supported by Bryan Alexander from the Career Transition Partnership, Inspector Lucy Sewell from Warwickshire Police and Stephen Lees from Jaguar Land Rover.  Both organisations are…

Almarose Hotels & Resorts sign Armed Forces Covenant

Hotel management group Almarose Hotels & Resorts has formally pledged its commitment to support those who have served or are currently serving within the Armed Forces. Backed by the government, the Armed Forces Covenant relies on the people, communities, and businesses of the UK to actively support it in order to make a difference. The official pledge recently signed, means Almarose promise to…

Carl Chinn’s guided tour for Gold Alumni

On 29th January West Midland RFCA hosted their annual Gold Alumni Association (GAA) event. This year the event was held in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter with a private tour provided by local historian Carl Chinn. Our GAA is now made up of 17 companies who have met all of the criteria and been awarded one of Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Awards. Of the…

Coventry City Football Club formally sign the Armed Forces Covenant

Coventry City Chief Executive Dave Boddy joined Royal Naval Reserve Commander Phil Sparke on the pitch to sign the Armed Forces Covenant at half time during their club’s match against Portsmouth Football Club. In October 2019, Coventry City FC became only the second major club in the West Midlands to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.  In doing so, they committed written pledges of…

Halfords nominated for Award at ‘The Millies’

The Sun Military Awards, also known as ‘The Millies’, is a star-studded event, with the world’s media focusing on the dedication and commitment of our Service men and women. This year, the well-known cycling and motoring business, Halfords, was nominated for an award in the Support to the Armed Forces category. Exactly a year to the day of the Awards ceremony, Halfords signed…

St. Modwen signs Armed Forces Covenant

St. Modwen has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, a commitment to supporting those who serve, or have served in the military, and their families. The property developer has created a bespoke armed forces career pathway, providing employment opportunities and training courses to inspire members of the armed forces community to join the house building and construction sectors. It has also pledged to create…