The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging to advocate for
recruitment and retention of ex-military personnel across the
automotive industry.
The pledge commits SMMT to
promoting best practice, fostering a culture and ethos of
inclusivity, and making the commercial case for automotive
companies to also sign up to the Covenant.
The signing reaffirms the work done through Mission Automotive, an
initiative dedicated to placing veterans in jobs across the
sector, set up in partnership with the Royal Foundation of the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the forces’ charity Mission
Motorsport, and supported by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
Read the full Mission Automotive
transcript (ODT, 5.01KB).
Making the process as easy as possible, SMMT has
helped members create tailored engagement programs, guiding and
aligning their interactions with the armed forces community
across brand, corporate and HR areas to support their own
business strategies. Some 55 SMMT member
companies already work with the armed forces community, employing
veterans, service leavers and their spouses across all parts of
the automotive supply chain, from cars to commercial vehicles,
across design, manufacturing, repair and through to retail and
logistics.
Alex Fogg, former Royal Engineer and Arrival Logistics Store
Manager said:
With the help of Mission Motorsport and the Mission Automotive
initiative I have a career that has not only changed my life
but is also incredibly therapeutic for me. I couldn’t be
happier.
Mission Automotive is already working to place personnel with
highly relevant skills in the UK automotive industry.
, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
People and Veterans, said:
The skills and training military personnel bring to civilian
employers are incredibly important. By signing the Armed Forces
Covenant, employers are harnessing the value that the Armed
Forces community contributes to business. That is why it is
vitally important that employers publicly pledge their support
for the armed forces community – it means a lot to the cohort
that we are trying to represent. In this field, it is hard to
find a better exemplar of best practice than SMMT.
As the UK looks to secure battery gigafactory investment ahead of
the 2030 phase-out of sale for new conventional petrol and diesel
engine cars and vans, the automotive industry hopes to help fill
the skills gap with service leavers, offering opportunities for
development and mapped-out career paths which translate military
skills into qualifications required by the sector. Many service
personnel are uniquely suited to this industry, with experience
of high voltage equipment and other technologies. Veterans,
therefore, are potentially some of the best candidates for roles
working in electric and hydrogen vehicle manufacturing and
engineering.
The past year tested the auto industry’s resilience as the
country battled coronavirus, with the sector keeping essential
services and key workers moving, supporting the vulnerable and
even manufacturing ventilators. Many automotive companies worked
with veteran volunteers to redeploy vehicle fleets across the
country to transport medical supplies and PPE.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief
Executive, said:
Upskilling our industry will be crucial as new technologies
transform the sector, and ex-military personnel are an
often-untapped talent pool that can provide these in-demand
skills. We are incredibly proud to support Mission Motorsport
in helping service leavers embark on new career paths and
signing the Armed Forces Covenant cements SMMT’s
long-term commitment to this cause. As events of the past year
have shown, the veteran community is a real asset to automotive
businesses and will be central not just to a successful and
sustainable recovery, but to our future success as we
transition to a connected, autonomous and zero emissions
future.
James Cameron, Mission Motorsport CEO, said:
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise, a commitment to ensure
that those who have served in the armed forces, and their
families, should not be disadvantaged by their service to the
country. Service leavers and veterans are a national resource,
and SMMT has
been innovative in helping its members to share best practices,
support each other, and harness that potential. By helping to
make the commercial case for companies, SMMT’s
engagement and advocacy through its Mission Automotive
initiative will encourage other industry bodies to follow suit
and this should be celebrated.
Companies that want to find out more can visit the Mission Automotive website
or contact info@missionautomotive.org
for more information, and an induction pack.
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