04/01/2023

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Newsdesk

Sweco UK

 

In September 2021 we signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant in recognition of the valuable contribution made to society by serving, reservist and veteran military personnel and their families. For those not aware of the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC), it is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

As part of our commitment to support our pledge, we formed a dedicated AFC Working Group at Sweco. This week, as we celebrate both Reserves Day and Armed Forces Day, we are proud to announce that Sweco has recently been awarded the Bronze Award by the Defence Employee Recognition Scheme (ERS), which highlights our dedication and commitment to the armed forces community, and we’re actively working towards achieving the Silver Award.

Here are just some of the other activities the AFC Group has been working on:

  1. We are actively helping individuals who are seeking resettlement support. They have been assisting with things like CV structuring, practice interviews, and discussions about how civilian firms operate and what to expect as they transition.
  2. We have extended the offer of Armed Services recognition and support to include foreign services. This is a wonderful show of appreciation for those who serve their country.
  3. We are currently monitoring our job adverts for any applicants with service experience, including ex-services, family of serving members and reservists. Our goal is to determine if we’re an attractive employer for those with service backgrounds and their families, and if not, why that might be.

Having served in the British Army for 28 years prior to joining Sweco, I am proud to have known and worked with thousands of service personnel from around the world – and am equally proud to work with a number of fellow veterans as well as those still associated to our wonderful armed forces in my current role.

 

At Sweco, we believe in attracting and recruiting the best talent. With the current skills shortage in the engineering sector, we recognise the breadth of expertise that our military personnel possess, from strong leadership and analytical skills to project management. Such skills are invaluable for the delivery of our projects.

We are proud to call ourselves a forces-friendly consultancy and by signing the Armed Forces Covenant, we are reinforcing the value we place on the skills and expertise these talented men and women have developed in their military careers, as well as recognising how their experiences can enrich Sweco’s diverse culture.

Max Joy OBE Sweco UK & Ireland President

A reminder of our key Armed Forces Covenant commitments

  1. Support the employment of veterans
  2. Support the employment of servicemen and women and their partners and provide flexibility for spouses and partners before, during
  3. and after a partner’s deployment
  4. Support colleagues who are members of the Reserve Forces by accommodating training and deployment commitments
  5. Recognise the benefits of employing cadets and ex-cadets and will ensure that these individuals are granted leave to attend training courses. We will also support any plans they may have to become volunteer leaders in their local cadet units
  6. Support national events, such as Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day
  7. Encourage our colleagues to support Armed Forces charities as part of their office’s CSR fundraising activities