We are delighted to have received the Bronze award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). This scheme rewards employers who have pledged to support to the armed forces community by entering into the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated fairly when seeking to access goods and services in the UK.
The covenant is a voluntary pledge which allows organisations to publicly show their support for the Armed Forces community and for the principles of the Covenant. Those who can demonstrate that their values align with the pledge are also considered for a DERS award.
Dr Liz Durden-Myers, Managing Director at PE Scholar said:
“We all wanted to recognise the huge contribution that our service personnel make, so we are very proud to have achieved the Bronze award. We have a number of reservists among our team, so it’s close to home for us as a company. It also makes complete sense from a business perspective. Armed Forces professionals have so many valuable skills to offer employers, such as resilience, self-discipline and resourcefulness. We’d encourage any employer, large or small, to consider taking the pledge.”
A particular focus of the covenant is ensuring that on return to the community, ex-Armed Forces personnel should not be at a disadvantage – for example in accessing housing or employment.
As an employer, this means being open to recruiting reservists, veterans (including the wounded or sick) and their partners. To achieve this, we reviewed our business operations both internal and external, such as our recruitment policies and employee handbook. Where it was needed, we made the necessary changes to ensure our processes are flexible and fully support the needs of Armed Forces personnel. This includes providing reservists with additional leave if they are mobilised, or extra help with returning to work afterwards.
However, there is more to be done and we have the Silver award in our sights. “As we grow, I’m confident that we will be able to build on our existing framework of support and help to inspire other companies to do the same” said Liz.
This post contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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