Chamber shows support to Armed Forces community
In light of Armed Forces Week, culminating in Armed Forces Day on Saturday, 26th June, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s commitment to the Armed Forces community has been renewed with the re-signing of the Armed Forces Covenant by Managing Director Suzanne Caldwell.
Doing so has made a commitment to support the country’s service personnel and their families. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that ensures the armed forces community are treated fairly in society.
The Chamber has also applied for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme – Bronze Award which pledges to:
- Support the armed forces community
- Sign the Armed Forces Covenant
- Promote that we are an armed forces friendly organisation and are open to employing reservists, veterans and military spouses and partners and cadet instructors.
Managing Director of Cumbria Chamber, Suzanne Caldwell said: “It seems really good timing to review the Chamber’s existing Armed Forces Covenant, see what we’re committed to and see what we could do to do more with and for the armed services.
“It’s not just about supporting the armed services, though that is really important, it’s actually about how we can benefit as a business and how other businesses in the county can benefit too.
“One thing we’ve signed up for is to offer guaranteed interviews to people leaving the armed forces and their partners providing they meet the minimum requirements for the job. Also we’re engaging actively with a specialist recruitment service that’s available to encourage people leaving the armed forces to move o Cumbria to take up jobs and live here. This is something businesses across the county could really benefit from.
“We have got a huge staffing crisis at the moment, people are constantly leaving the services who have got great skills and experiences that we could all take advantage of.
“I’d really encourage you to have a look, see what’s involved and sign up yourself.”
Cumbria Chamber is encouraging other businesses to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and pledge their support to the Armed Forces Community.
There’s also National Insurance contributions relief for employers who hire veterans. Find out more here.
Businesses wanting to sign up to the covenant should contact the Ministry of Defence’s Regional Engagement Director, Vicky Doran at nw-reedn@rfca.mod.uk.
© Cumbria Chamber of Commerce