Armed Forces Covenant

City council reaffirms commitment to Covenant

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and is encouraging local organisations to also pledge their support. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise to those who serve, or who have served, in the Armed Forces and their families that they should be treated with fairness and respect. The city council has a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS)…

Worcestershire Freemasons sign the Armed Forces Covenant

Worcestershire Freemasons have made a formal pledge to support former and current military personnel and their families. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise to those who serve, or who have served, in the armed forces and their families that they should be treated with fairness and respect. The Head of Freemasonry in Worcestershire, Robert Vaughan, in company with the Deputy Lieutenant of…

University College Birmingham signs up to support forces

Discussing how veterans, Reservists and those in the military community can bring tangible skills to the civilian workforce was a key theme for an online event hosted in partnership with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Moving the annual event to the virtual sphere to allow for Covid-19 safety, employers from around the Greater Birmingham region were invited to listen to inspirational key…

Armed Forces friendly employers take home Gold Award

Fifteen businesses from the West Midlands region have been presented with the prestigious Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award at a special ceremony in Cardiff. The joint regional event held on 17th November at HMS CAMBRIA saw employers from Wales, West Midlands and Wessex Reserve Forces & Cadets Associations’ (RFCA) recognised for the outstanding support they give to the Armed Forces community….

School gives thanks to those who serve

A Birmingham-based school is one of the latest education providers to formally pledge its support to the wider forces community. King Solomon International Business School in Aston teaches children from foundation year through to sixth form.  Offering a wide and vibrant curriculum, the school’s key visions and values are to promote diversity, peace, kindness and mutual respect – based on the virtues associated…

Black Country and West Birmingham NHS pledges support to Armed Forces community

On Monday 8th November we welcomed seven NHS organisations from the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care System (ICS) to sign the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) at a virtual signing. This is the first ICS to sign up to the Covenant within the West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association’s (RFCA) region. The Black Country and West Birmingham ICS comprises 15 local…

Record breaking fifty employers receive coveted Ministry of Defence Award

Fifty employers from the West Midlands region have received their Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Awards from West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (West Midland RFCA). The ERS was launched in 2014 to recognise employer support for the wider principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for the employers that pledge, demonstrate…

Employers recognised for long-term support to Armed Forces

Two organisations from the West Midlands have achieved the highest honour available for companies who support Defence – for the second time. Bureau Veritas UK and Pertemps Limited have both previously been awarded a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold in 2017 for their outstanding support towards the Armed Forces community. In the five years since they were originally awarded the accolades, their continued…

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 &…

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…