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Compass announces new armed forces recruitment partner (3)

Mick Hickman, Chair of Compass Group UK & Ireland Armed Forces Covenant Committee
Blog

Today is Remembrance Day and our thoughts are of those serving and who have served in the armed forces. We have always been a military friendly organisation which we strengthened in 2016 by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. What this means, is we have made a number of commitments to support those from the armed forces community, including veterans, reservists, dependents. This includes actively recruiting those who have served in our military.

It was shocking to read recent research carried out by the Armed Forces Charity SSAFA that; and over a third (31%) of recruiters would feel reluctant to hire someone who had previously served in the Armed Forces, with 46% citing concerns that they worry about hiring a service leaver in case they had mental health issues.

At Compass we see the huge benefits former military personnel can bring to our organisation. As a former serving member of the Royal Navy, I know the transition to civilian life can be daunting which is why we work with organisations who support service leavers, such as the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and the White Ensign Association (WEA). Additionally, I am delighted to announce that we have partnered with the newly launched Force Families Jobs (FFJ) platform.

FFJ is a new website that has been specifically designed to support military spouses/partners and family members of currently serving and transitioning military personnel in their search of a new job, volunteering or training and career development. All vacancies posted through our Compass Central Resourcing Team, will now also be advertised via FFJ.

Based on research, conducted by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research, which identified the need to create a central portal for employment and training opportunities for Service spouses, partners and family members, this fantastic opportunity not only gives us access to a pool of talented potential employees, it also provides those dedicated military personal access to a much wider range of opportunities and a chance to get back into employment around their military lifestyles.

Since its launch date in September this year, all vacancies posted through our Compass Central Resourcing Team are also advertised via FFJ. We have seen a number of applications for these roles submitted via the new website and we have so far carried out a number of interviews for various roles across the Compass business.

We will continue to do all that we can to support armed forces personnel and their families. To find out more about the pledges we have made as an Armed Forces Covenant signatory and how we may be able to support you, please click here.