In Focus: Career options for ex-military veterans in the rural economy

An in-depth look at the ways that ex-military personnel can receive the correct training, rejoin the workforce and provide a vital boost to the rural economy

Written by Charles Trotman. First published on 12 Dec 2024.

Just under 15,000 men and women leave the UK’s armed forces every year. Irrespective of how long they may have served, they constitute a large labour pool with a unique set of skills. But rural employers are often confused as to the value veterans can give the business and failing to understand the bespoke skills veterans possess.

In this article, we aim to debunk some of the myths and provide a greater understanding of veterans and the veterans community.

Who is a veteran?

It is often thought that someone needs to have been in the armed forces for a considerable time, for example 10 or 20 years, to be called a veteran. However, that is not the case. The Ministry of Defence defines a veteran as follows: “a veteran is anyone who has served for at least one day in His Majesty’s armed forces (regular or reserve) or merchant mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. The 2021 Census shows that there are 1.85m veterans in England and Wales (3.8% of the over 16 population), with around 2m estimated across the whole of the UK.” These figures highlight the importance of veterans and the veterans community.

How difficult is it for a veteran to find employment?

According to a recent report from Deloitte called 'Veterans Work: Then and Now' veterans find it either difficult or very difficult finding the right job role, with female veterans experiencing greater difficulties. It states that:

51% of male veterans found it difficult or very difficult
57% of female veterans found it difficult or very difficult

In addition, some 47% of veterans had failed to find employment six months after leaving the armed forces. This highlights the importance for rural employers in understanding how veterans can benefit the business as well as for veterans to understand the rural economy.

A veteran’s career pathway - the Careers Transition Partnership

The Careers Transition Partnership (CTP) is the official resettlement service for the armed forces and is run by Reed. Its central aim is to bring together expert personal support, employers and training providers to help those who serve resettle into civilian life.

The CTP provides services and support for service leavers, employers and training providers. For service leavers, the aim is to put in place an approach that is effective and ensure that future employment meets their respective skills, knowledge and experience.

Regarding employers, the CTP helps to make the match with service leavers. It provides employers access to the veterans labour pool. When it comes to training providers, the CTP works with a list of preferred suppliers that can provide veterans the necessary training to make a successful transition to civilian employment.

The CTP also provides a series of sector guides that provides information of the types on offer. At present, there is no rural sector guide, but efforts are ongoing to publish a guide that outlines the opportunities available in the rural sector by March 2025.

For more information, visit the CTP website here.

The Armed Forces Covenant and the Employers Recognition Scheme

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that members of the armed forces will be treated fairly, whether they are currently serving personnel or have left. It states the businesses that sign the covenant make a range of written and publicised pledges, for example, providing employment for those leaving the military. The level of support depends on the size and nature of the organisation and will include policies that support employment of veterans and service spouses/partners and services. To date, more than 10,000 businesses and charities have signed the covenant and it must be signed by a person in authority who can ensure that commitments are implemented and maintained.

The covenant includes the Employer Recognition Scheme which acknowledges employers who provide support to the armed forces by implementing an employer’s stated pledges. It is a three-tier approach – bronze, silver and gold – with each relating to the different levels of commitment provided by employers. Upon signing the covenant, the business automatically receives the bronze award. Silver and gold are awarded when certain criteria are met.

Transferable skills from the military to the civilian workforce

The skills of the UK armed forces can be valuable in various rural economic sectors, given the diverse range of expertise and experiences they possess. It is not simply a case of being trained for war: the military is also trained for natural emergences, such as extreme weather events; civil emergencies including defence and protection; and, at times, acting in a peacekeeping role.

These different roles and activities require a different set of skills that would not normally be available to rural employers but, undoubtedly, they add value to a business. The following areas show the importance of veterans to the rural economy:

Leadership, teamwork and discipline: veterans will have undergone extensive training in leadership and team dynamics that can be applied in management and crisis management
Technical skills, engineering and construction: veterans will have acquired technical and engineering skills that would be eminently suitable to land based business
Communication: together with teamwork, communication is a key component for those trained in the armed forces
Planning, logistics and supply chain management: logistical planning, supply chain management and the use of resources are paramount in the armed forces and these skills can be easily transferable to the running of a rural business
Digital skills and cybersecurity: with the increasing importance of digital connectivity within business as well as the transition to a green economy, those with digital skills sets can add real value to the business
Analysing and interpreting data: military training emphasises critical thinking and quick decision making under pressure

However, the government has said that there could be a range of challenges or barriers that veterans’ will face when accessing employment. These include: “undervaluing their skills and their transferability to civilian employment; adjusting to civilian life and identifying a new purpose in life; public perceptions of veterans which can be mixed, based on incorrect portrayals in films or by the media; or a lack of understanding about support available or information overload. Veterans will also have a range of skills and experiences that would make them attractive to employers.”

It is therefore important that both rural employers and veterans understand each other and move away from the perception that military veterans are “mad, sad or bad”.

To be able to optimise the skills on offer from veterans, businesses should consider conducting a skills audit of the business and establishing how veterans skills can be used. Essentially, this provides a match-up between the skills needs of a business cand how these can be met by employing military veterans.

Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Scheme

The Ministry of Defence's Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Scheme (ELCAS) promotes lifelong learning amongst members of the armed forces. It provides financial support in each of a maximum of three separate financial years and enables service leavers higher level learning of a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above (or approved international equivalent) with an approved learning provider.

Careers for disabled veterans

There are a number of veterans support groups that aim to support wounded veterans into work. For example, ‘Walking With The Wounded’ (WWTW) has a bespoke employment programme designed to find suitable, sustainable jobs for veterans who are struggling since leaving the military.

There is a team of experienced employment advisors that support military veterans back into work by providing personalised guidance that leads to the right job. This can be through organising work placements or securing funding for training with the employment programme working with veterans, so that confidence can be built through practical skills and experience.

WWTW Employment Advisors are embedded in NHS regional veteran mental health teams and in local communities. Because they have years of experience working with people who have served in the military, they understand the unique challenges faced when transitioning to civilian life. By working within the NHS, intensive, individualised support that understands the mental health and wellbeing of each veteran can be provided.

Another group is Supporting Wounded Veterans (SWV). It aims to find meaningful employment for the veterans via its Occupation, Training and Employment (OTE) pathway. This programme is open to veterans who have attended a Sports Habilitation or Pain Management pathway.

Veterans who have taken part in the programme work in a variety of different roles, including adventure experience leader, book keeper, electrician, dog handler, mechanic, gardener, personal fitness instructor and engineer.

Available veteran retraining programmes and training providers

Again, there are a number of support groups and rural training providers for veterans. For the land based sector, the national coordinating body is Lantra.

There are also specialist training providers like HighGround. It helps service leavers, reservists and veterans work out what military skills and experience they have, how they will map into the land-based sector and how to access the many opportunities it offers for employment and self-employment. HighGround also provides residential ‘Rural Weeks’ which take a deep dive into the land based sector and help to educate veterans.

Another provider is Greenway Training which is the largest provider of accredited rural training in the South West. It runs programmes focused on offering training to service leavers and veterans, including refresher drills for experienced military operators with transferable skills.

Support groups for the veterans community

It is important to recognise the importance of a veteran’s family in finding employment. This is where the support from veterans groups and charities becomes fundamental. There are a myriad of support groups and a number are members of the CLA’s Veterans Rural Skills Partnership that aims to provide a focal point for promoting greater awareness for veterans and rural employers.

Further information

Veterans Initiative

Key contact:

Charles Trotman Senior Economics and Rural Business Adviser, London