Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce will be taking part in an online jobs fair in October to link Scottish ex-military, reservist and military spouse jobseekers with employers.
The event is timed to coincide with an employer ‘summit’ hosted by Business in the Community (BITC) to discuss veterans’ employability and share best practice. Employers who wish to promote the opportunities and support they can provide to veterans and spouses are encouraged to sign up for this exciting pilot project, designed to bring employers and jobseekers together in an online careers fair environment.
The Scottish Veterans Employment and Training Service (SVETS) is a partnership between the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, charities, commercial organisations and education providers designed to support veterans’ employment. SVETS has been awarded a £7,000 grant by the Scottish Government, to help fund the job fair and, in particular, to connect small and medium-sized businesses with ex-military jobseekers in Scotland. This funding will allow up to 30 SMEs who have confirmed job vacancies, to take part in the fair free of charge.
SaluteMyJob, in partnership with BITC Scotland, will deliver the SVETS online job fair on 24th October 2016. The aim of the event is to help employers fill some of the skills gaps with ex-military, reservist and military spouses and to help these jobseekers into employment in Scotland. Employers who take part in the online job fair will be able to ‘meet’ jobseekers from the military community who are seeking employment in Scotland.
Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce has been heavily involved in supporting ex-forces personnel through SVETS and the ViNE programme, which supports Veterans into New Enterprise. They have also initiated a work placement scheme whereby chamber members offer short taster work placements to transitioning military personnel. Forth Valley’s work in this area earned them a recent nomination for the Ministry of Defence Gold Award, one of only 62 businesses across the UK to be nominated. Two gold awards were presented in Scotland, with Forth Valley just being pipped at the post by Dundee City Council and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
CEO of Forth Valley Chamber Michelle McKearnon said, “While we were naturally disappointed not to have picked up a Gold Award, we are immensely proud to be nominated, and were the smallest organisation put forward, against much larger public sector bodies. We are honoured to be recognised as contenders and will continue our work to bring employers and ex-military job seekers together.”
Forth Valley Chamber already holds the Silver Award. Martin Gibson, Chairman of Veterans Scotland said he was pleased to support SVETS and SaluteMyJob to promote the online job fair. He added: “This collaborative approach will provide a platform to promote the employability of those who leave the Armed Forces with a wealth of experience and talent that they can offer businesses of all sizes across Scotland.”
General Sir Nick Parker KCB CBE, Chairman of SaluteMyJob, noted the gap that currently exists between employers and ex-military jobseekers and said: “There are clear benefits SVETS offers employers from advice, to recruitment to training and education. I am confident that, very quickly, small and medium sized employers will find that this [SVETS] is a fantastic source of high quality labour that has real potential.”
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, said he believed service personnel have a great deal to offer employers, including a wide range of skills, experience and training that make them “significant assets to Scottish businesses.”
He added: “Many employers face skills shortages or recruitment and retention challenges which former service men and women can help to address. Veterans and their families add much value to our communities and I want to make Scotland the most attractive destination for them to settle and succeed.”
The Online Job Fair will take place on 24th October 2016, between 9.30am and 2pm.
To register – visit https://svets.omnivil.com or for more information please call Shaun Cauvin on 0131 5139750.
