Supporting veterans and service leavers into careers in the rail industry.
Last week, NSAR Chief Executive Neil Robertson signed the Armed Forces Covenant, alongside Group Captain Daren Moss.
By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, organisations pledge to support the Armed Forces community and ensure that service leavers, Reservists, volunteers, spouses and partners receive equal employment opportunities and appropriate support.
14,000-15,000 Reservists, veterans, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and military spouses move into civilian employment every year. They have transferable skills and experience in many areas that the rail industry has demand for – engineering, IT and cyber security, programme management and more – as well as soft skills like resilience, adaptability, teamwork and problem-solving that make them excellent employees.
Service leavers are supported by the military for two years, with ongoing support from a network of charities after that. Personnel whose service is ongoing, such as Reservists, receive regular upskilling undertaken and funded by the military – saving employers money and providing them with highly skilled and capable employees.
To fill skills gaps in rail, the industry must attract experienced individuals such as those from the Armed Forces community. By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NSAR is reinforcing its commitment to supporting the rail industry to build an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce. NSAR will be promoting the Armed Forces Covenant and encouraging rail employers of all sizes to sign on.
Through Routes into Rail, NSAR will continue to promote the rail industry to the Armed Forces community as a great place to work with lots of opportunities, progression and benefits. Some of the Routes into Rail funders – such as Network Rail and HS2 – have already signed the Covenant and are benefiting from employing members of the Armed Forces community.
If your company is interested in signing the AFC – please contact afcovenant@rfca.mod.uk
If you want to get involved with Routes into Rail and promote your opportunities to people interested in working in rail, email marketing@nsar.co.uk