There are many uncertainties in the present day. Politically, socially, and environmentally, and it can often seem difficult to establish a sense of value or meaning in the world around us.
But on this special day of remembrance, the nation is provided with the opportunity to take a step back from the fast-paced society and reflect on the courage, selflessness, and sacrifice of our Armed Forces who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We remember the men and women who faced, and still face today, great danger in countries far from our own.
When I pause for reflection today, I will also think about those who are left at home when their friends and family members are deployed and how difficult it is for them to cope with the separation, the anxiety and fear about the wellbeing of their loved one and the strong emotions that come with a deployment.
Our Armed Forces are the epitome of endurance, duty and sacrifice and at Amey, we are proud to be associated with this community of individuals. For more than 100 years, we have been delivering services to the Armed Forces and their families and although this has inevitably changed shape and size since then, we remain committed to supporting the Ministry of Defence to improve the lived experience for service personnel.
We’ve worked alongside the military community for many, many years and we recognise and value the person behind the personnel. We strongly believe that Veterans and Reservists have skills that can often be overlooked, and we work hard to ensure that we harness their knowledge, their leadership skills and their dedication to their work and use it to drive improvements within our organisation that directly benefit those we serve.
Each year, thousands of Service leavers and veterans leave the military and many need support finding new job opportunities as they embark on their second career following the Forces. We know that employing Service leavers will bring new talent into our business and the qualities they bring with them are unrivalled. Military personnel are often used to coping with complex and stressful environments, they understand the importance of teamwork and are often quick to learn - picking up new skills and adapting to new situations. Self-discipline and motivation are a prerequisite, and they often bring their considerable experience, moral and physical courage to a business.
Amey has employed hundreds of ex-military individuals into roles such as engineers, technicians, facilities managers, project managers and communications experts. We actively encourage people with a military background to join us, and we work with partnerships and charities to create a better and more diverse team. Our work to help military personnel transition to a civilian career demonstrates our promise under the Armed Forces Covenant to support members of the military community who work within Amey, access our services or are part of the wider community.
One example is our partnership with Buildforce, who focus on reducing the skills gap in the construction industry by recruiting ex-military personnel. We have a network of mentors working across the UK organising site visits, work placements and providing guidance and support with CV writing and mock interviews. We also work alongside the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to provide employment opportunities to service leavers. This partnership helps us understand how skills learnt in the military can be transferred to the roles on offer at Amey.
Military spouses and family members are also often highly qualified and some of them may be unfulfilled in their employment due to lack of opportunity or flexibility, so we regularly advertise and recruit via the Forces Families jobs board. Through e50k we also provide those within the wider military community with the opportunity to maintain, establish or train for a thriving long-term career.
We encourage military recruitment through our supply chain partners. Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company is a supplier to Amey of routine and bespoke permanent signs for commercial applications, public buildings, roads and railways and employs more than 100 people – 70% of whom are veterans, have a disability or both.
For Amey, employing from this unique pool of individuals not only enhances the service we provide to the public and defence sector, it also offers a continuous reminder of how important the UK’s Armed Forces are to our country, and the sacrifices they continue to make to ensure the nations safety.
We shall remember them.