EMPLOYING former Armed Services personnel is not only the right thing to do… it can also be good for business.
That is the message to Northamptonshire businesses ahead of a breakfast briefing aimed at encouraging companies across the county to sign up to the Armed Services Covenant.
Brackmills Business Improvement District and logistics company Goodwill Solutions are joining forces with the British Army to host the event on July 5. Businesses will meet an Employer Engagement representative from the Ministry of Defence and discuss how signing up to, or utilising, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme can mean positive things for a business.
Brackmills BID chief executive Sara Homer pictured right said: “The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated fairly and should not face disadvantages when seeking to access public or private goods and services in the UK.
“Signing up to the scheme is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for business – proven to improve recruitment and staff retention, increase business opportunities and great for PR and community relations.”
The government has set up Defence Relationship Management, a department dedicated to helping organisations to understand the value of signing the Armed Forces Covenant and building mutually beneficial partnerships with the defence sector. Its deputy regional employer engagement director Kirstie Lawrence said: “Benefiting from a partnership with defence is not simply for those able to gain an elusive and coveted defence contract. Business of all sizes and from every industry are signing into the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, all across the nation, and reaping the rewards.”
The event is open to all Brackmills business and to others across Northamptonshire. It takes place from 8.30am on July 5 at Startech.com, Gowerton Road on Brackmills Industrial Estate. To register for this event, email Sara Homer at
“The Armed Forces Covenant is a way that businesses up and down the UK can show their support to both serving armed forces and veterans , taking away that barrier between civil life and life in and out of service,” said John Sheriff pictured, group development director at Goodwill Solutions.
“We have to be mindful that these individuals bring some of the best skills that we as businesses want in our work place and to say thank you for their service to this country.”