My name is John Loveday, I am a veteran and I proudly served in 2nd Battalion the Rifles as a Non Commissioned Officer. After 7 years in HM Forces and experiencing some of the fiercest fighting the British Army has seen to date, I decided to start a new life in civvy street. I never had a ‘normal’ job; I worked as a…
Approximately 79% of working age Military veterans are employed in the UK. Many veterans have high quality transferable skills which they have gained through their Defence training. All of these skills are extremely desirable to civilian employers. We spoke to Barry Lewis a veteran and Director of Commercial Banking for NatWest in the West Midlands to find out more. “The world of work…
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…
Superfast IT has become one of the latest organisations in the West Midlands to show their support for our military community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. Hosted as a virtual event, the signing was attended by Wing Commander Simon Briggs of the Royal Air Force. The organisation has pledged its support to the Armed Forces Covenant; a promise that those who serve…
On 14th October West Midland RFCA hosted a webinar to celebrate Black History Month. The keynote speaker at the event was Horace Barnes, Chairperson at Why Are West Indian (WAWI) project. The WAWI Project is a voluntary organisation set up in 2009 to offer workshops to schools and to bring communities together. The presentation by Horace Barnes covered some of the history of…
From today, we are joining a national celebration of those employers in our region who have achieved the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold award, the Ministry of Defence’s highest level of recognition for employers who support and advocate for the Armed Forces Community. There will unfortunately not be an awards ceremony this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but we still want to…
Trentham-based Acacia Training receives recognition for providing exceptional support to the Armed Forces community and now holds a Bronze award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). The company, which provides apprenticeships and work based training, earned the accolade by demonstrating through it’s culture, policies and procedures that it is ‘forces-friendly’ and is open to employing Reservists, Armed Forces veterans, cadet instructors and…
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has awarded more than £859,000 to 100 projects focused on bringing our Forces communities together during the Covid-19 pandemic. With various social restrictions still in place across the county, the Trust were keen to support engaging and enjoyable projects that sought to overcome the current challenges we are all facing and deliver activities that bring…
What is Victory over Japan (VJ) Day? VJ Day falls on the 15th August and marks the day that Japan surrendered to the Allies and World War II came to an end. This year in 2020 we are marking the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. Although the war in Europe had come to an end on Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on…
Five supportive employers across the West Midlands region have been re-awarded their Gold and Silver Awards as part of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. The Employer Recognition Scheme acknowledges employers who have provided exceptional support to the Armed Forces community. The Gold and Silver Awards are reviewed every five years, and requires each organisation to resubmit an application to be considered by a…
Have a question? Get in touch with us today!