West Midland RFCA

Community events round-up

One of the key outputs of our Association is our work to advocate and promote support for the Reserves, cadets and wider military family.  This involves working with employers, local authorities, youth and the wider communities on different projects and events to raise awareness and develop new relationships between the military and civilian communities. Over the past 18-months face-to-face activities have been largely…

Football event aims to break down inequality barriers

Finding new female football talent and addressing inequality were the key themes of a unique event which brought together women from across the sporting community. ‘Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers’ was the first event of its kind to be hosted at St George’s Park – the Football Association’s (FA) national football centre – in partnership with Farenet and the FA. Organised by Saltley Stallions…

Drive to promote career opportunities in military and blue light services

A drive to promote career opportunities for young people in the military and blue light services is being supported and promoted by West Midlands Lieutenancy as part of a ‘first-time ever’ programme to encourage young people to use their skills within the uniformed services. The DRIVE initiative is designed to demonstrate that the uniformed services offer significant opportunities for young people to use…

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…

Shropshire celebrates extraordinary cadets and volunteers

Shrewsbury Castle was the magnificent venue to play host to the Shropshire Lord-Lieutenant Awards presentation ceremony evening on the 1st July 2021. With last year’s presentation being held virtually, it was a momentous occasion for the county as they were able to hold their first face-to-face presentation ceremony in over 18 months. As an open-air event in the castle grounds, the grand backdrop…

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….

West Midland RFCA welcomes new Chair to the REEG

We are very pleased to welcome Calum Nisbet as the new chair of our Regional Employer Engagement Group (REEG) at West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA). The REEG is a group of over 20 members made up of senior representatives of the Armed Forces, employer community and WM RFCA. The aim of the REEG is to provide a regional forum for…

Independent report celebrates positive impact of Cadet Forces

Exciting new research into the UK Cadet Forces highlights the positive impacts on young peoples’ development, adult volunteers and wider society. The UK currently has 130,000 cadets and almost 30,000 adult volunteers supporting them. This follows the Cadet Expansion Programme launched by the UK Government in 2012 which saw the number of school cadet units double to over 500 by last year. During…

West Midland RFCA welcomes 700th Armed Forces Covenant signee

Valiant Integrated Services Ltd as the 700th company, within the West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA) region, to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and pledge their support to the Armed Forces community. The Armed Forces Covenant was introduced by the Ministry of Defence in 2014 and is used across the country for businesses to pledge their support to the Armed Forces…