Leading public and regulated services provider Amey, has joined 23 other energy and utilities sector employers in a collaborative approach to enable the engagement, attraction and recruitment of ex-military personnel into the sector.
Facilitated through the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership, (a sector focused skills partnership as part of Energy & Utility Skills Group), nine new signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant have been progressed, and in total, 24 employers have agreed to further collaborate and work in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Defence Relationship Management (DRM) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), to ensure the sector is recognised as Armed Forces friendly.
As a signatory of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant since 2013, Amey’s commitment to recruiting and supporting ex-service personnel was also recognised by the MOD who awarded the company Gold status in their Employer Recognition Scheme in 2018.
Paul MacFarlane, HR Director for Utilities at Amey, said: “It’s great to see so many employers coming together across the sector to promote attraction of ex-service personnel. Former members of the Armed Forces and Reservists bring a unique set of skills and commitments to companies like ours and we’re constantly looking to build on our successes with this talent pool to assist in meeting the skills challenges of the industry. We’re delighted to be combining our commitment to the covenant since 2013 with The Energy & Utility Skills Partnership in driving this sector wide commitment.”
Nick Ellins, Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills, commented: “I am delighted to see our leading employers support the covenant. With a good proportion of the 14,000 people that leave the Armed Forces every year possessing highly sought-after skills, service leavers are a fantastic talent pool and ideally suited to our industry.”
Ian Westcott, Senior National Account Manager, National Employer and Partnership Team at DWP, said: “The Armed Forces community can contribute real value to a business with their wealth of skills and experience. It’s admirable that the energy and utilities sector are one of the first to take an inclusive approach and become an Armed Forces friendly industry.”
Natalie Haynes, Assistant Director, Relationship Management for DRM: “We are delighted that the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership has committed to focus on engaging and attracting ex-military personnel and their families through facilitating signings of the Armed Forces Covenant with some of their members.”
Earlier this year, Amey announced that Reserves will now get ten days' paid leave to train each year. These extra days will help them to fulfil their commitments as Reservists, including annual training camps.
This support forms part of our commitment as signatories of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant: a promise to treat people who serve, or have served, fairly. We also work with ex-service recruitment specialists Career Transition Partnership, and we are proud to have been a Strategic Partner of the Armed Forces charity, SSAFA.