Military veterans are to be guaranteed interviews for civil
service jobs, the government has announced.
The initiative, launched by the Office for Veterans’
Affairs in the Cabinet Office, underlines this government’s
deep commitment to veterans and will boost the employment
prospects of those who have served in the British Armed
Forces.
The move fulfills a manifesto pledge and will see veterans
applying for posts in the civil service guaranteed the
opportunity to be interviewed.
Guaranteed interviews for veterans will start from spring
this year with pilots in the Ministry of Justice, the
Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Home
Office, including UK Border Force, all of which were keen
to be part of the pilot as they believe veterans will bring
the skills and experience they need.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, , who represents
the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) in Cabinet said:
The end of military service should not mean an end to
serving our great country. From teamwork to
problem-solving, our veterans have incredible skills and
experience that employers on civvy street, and indeed
Whitehall, are crying out for.
I want to see even more of our ex-servicemen and women
join the public sector so we all benefit from their
talents. Today we are delivering on another manifesto
promise to veterans and guaranteeing interviews for civil
service jobs.
Some ex-service personnel already work in the civil
service, bringing invaluable skills and experience learnt
from the armed forces to the 430,000-strong workforce.
The new scheme builds on the Going Forward into Employment
Programme, which launched its veterans initiative last
month and helps veterans and their spouses into civil
service junior roles. Today’s announcement paves the way
for many more veterans to secure government roles at all
levels.
Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, , said:
Those who’ve worked in the British Armed Forces are among
the brightest and the best, and so it is right we draw
upon this talent.
Service personnel are agile, strategic and excellent team
players - a guaranteed interview will shine a light on
these skills and help boost job prospects.
There will not be a time limit for those leaving service
and when they can take up the guaranteed interview offer.
Applicants will need to meet basic minimum criteria during
the selection stage.
The employment boosting announcement delivers on a
manifesto commitment and is part of a range of government
pledges to help veterans including ending repeated and
vexatious claims against them, better job prospects, better
access to services from government, and cheaper train
travel.
Last month, the government announced the new Veterans
Railcard will be launched providing cheaper train travel to
former servicemen and women this autumn.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs was set up in July
coordinating all government departments to make the UK the
best place in the world to be a veteran.
