Employer Engagement

Shropshire businesses sign up to support forces

Over 70 members from Shropshire’s business and voluntary sectors came together for a breakfast event to share best practice and learn more about supporting the Armed Forces community. Held at Bligny House Army Reserve Centre in Shrewsbury, home of E Company 8 Rifles, the early morning Shropshire Business Breakfast networking event was a joint partnership between our Association, Shropshire Council and Telford &…

Tennis club supports those who serve

A tennis club in Wolverhampton has bounced back from the pandemic to open its courts to the Armed Forces including the Royal Air Force (RAF) to host military racket sports tournaments and training events.  Established in 1885, Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club (WLTSC) caters for all levels of tennis and squash players, welcoming members from all backgrounds within their community. For the…

Herefordshire walking football sessions for the forces community

The Herefordshire Football Association has recently confirmed details of free weekly walking football sessions, with food and drinks afterwards. Two walking football sessions have been launched on the 3G pitch off of Widemarsh Common in Hereford, for those connected to the Armed Forces community and those connected to the men’s mental health community. These sessions are being run in partnership with the Defence…

Face-to-face engagement launches again!

West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association were in attendance at the Military to Business event at Hereford Racecourse on the 29th of July 2021.  The event was organised and managed by New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), a Gold Award holder on the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Employer Recognition Scheme. Over the past 3 years NMITE has been committed to…

The Wigley Group support Gold medal dreams of Paralympic athlete

Three times World Champion cyclist Jaco van Gass — who is sponsored by Midlands property investment company The Wigley Group — has been selected to represent Team GB at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The former paratrooper has been a brand ambassador for the company since their sponsorship of him began in 2018, and is a driving force behind the Wigley Support…

West Midlands employers recognised by Ministry of Defence Awards for support to Armed Forces community

After what has been a challenging 18 months for all businesses, West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA) are very pleased to announce that 41 organisations in their region are confirmed as Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award winners for 2021. In addition a further nine employers have had their ERS Silver Awards from 2016 revalidated for their continued commitment. This Ministry…

140 companies honoured for outstanding support towards the Armed Forces

140 organisations have received the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award for their outstanding support towards the Armed Forces community, Defence Minister Leo Docherty announced today. Representing the highest badge of honour, Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Awards are awarded to those that employ and support those who serve, veterans and their families. This year’s awardees brings the total number of Gold holders to 493….

IT company announces paid leave for Reservists

Further to signing the Armed Forces Covenant earlier this year, Superfast IT has pledged its support by offering paid leave to employees serving with the Armed Forces Reserves. The announcement coincided with Armed Forces Week celebrations, taking place between the 21-26 June, and is part of the Birmingham IT company’s continued commitment to veterans, serving members of the Armed Forces and their families….

Why military experience is great in your workplace?

Approximately 79% of working age Military veterans are employed in the UK. Many veterans have high quality transferable skills which they have gained through their Defence training. All of these skills are extremely desirable to civilian employers. We spoke to Barry Lewis a veteran and Director of Commercial Banking for NatWest in the West Midlands to find out more. “The world of work…