Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all service leavers undertake resettlement training with Career Transition Partnership.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) ensures that when Armed Forces personnel leave active service they are well supported to translate their acquired skills, experience and qualifications into the career they aspire to. The skills that Service leavers possess are in demand from UK employers who recognise the benefits of bringing this talent into their organisations.

To support this transition, the MOD has a robust and effective resettlement system in place which utilises the highly successful Career Transition Partnership (CTP). In Financial Year 2015-16 the CTP helped 80 per cent of Service leavers find sustainable employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. This compares favourably to an employment rate of 74 per cent in the general UK population.

The CTP is the MOD's official provider of resettlement services to those leaving the Armed Forces and provides one-to-one guidance, training and employment opportunities to around 15,000 Service leavers that leave the Armed Forces each year. All personnel are eligible for the CTP resettlement provision including those medically discharged, or leaving the Armed Forces due to redundancy. Personnel with less than four years' Service receive CTP Future Horizons. Personnel with between four and five years' Service receive the Employment Support Programme. Personnel with at least six years' Service receive an enhanced service - the Core Resettlement Programme. These free resettlement services are offered to all ranks of Service personnel and offer flexible support which can be accessed two years before discharge, through to two years post-discharge in order to ensure that making the transition to civilian life is as smooth as possible.

After a Service leaver has received their mandatory Resettlement Advisory Briefing, the remainder of the resettlement provision is an elective process. However, all Service leavers are very strongly encouraged to take up the support offered, both by the Chain of Command and through promotional material.