Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the uptake of job transition services for veterans.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works collaboratively with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and with other Government Departments to support Service leavers and veterans transition into civilian employment. The MOD provided significant input into the Government’s Veterans' Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024 and is a member of the newly formed Veteran Employers Group, which is chaired by the Minister for Veterans Affairs.

Resettlement services are offered to all personnel leaving the Armed Forces, with employment support and training delivered through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to all Regular Service leavers. The CTP is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement support to all Service Leavers, regardless of time served. The CTP is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Right Management Ltd, who are global career development and outplacement specialists and part of the ManpowerGroup.

This resettlement provision is designed to help personnel leaving the Armed Forces to prepare for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. Resettlement support is available from two years prior to leaving and two years after discharge. The provision entitles Service leavers to resettlement support which, depending on their discharge category, includes duty time, financial assistance and access to CTP Services. The CTP provision is individually tailored and includes workshops, seminars, one-to-one career consultancy, resettlement training advice and vocational training, together with job finding support.

The latest statistics show that 78% of Service leavers used a billable CTP Service ( Career Transition Partnership ex-service personnel employment outcomes statistics: index - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ). For those Service leavers looking to transition into civilian employment when leaving the Armed Forces, around 83% are successfully employed within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. Moreover, the satisfaction rates of Service leavers accessing CTP support are typically around 90%.