Veterans’ Career Development Fund launches
Introducing the Veterans’ Career Development Fund
The Trust is delighted to announce a new and exciting programme! The Veterans’ Career Development Fund will enable Veterans and their families to enter stable long-term employment, by delivering qualifications and training.
With funding from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, The Veterans’ Career Development Fund will award grants of up to £70,000 over two-years. Projects will aim to help Veterans, and their families achieve recognised qualifications, which help them access employment that matches their skills and interests.
Supporting Veterans and their families with employability
The best projects will focus on meeting the needs of Veterans facing particular barriers. We also welcome applications for projects which will offer support to Veterans who may have particular needs or challenges. This might be women Veterans, LGBT+ Veterans, early Service leavers, those with health needs or those from Ethnic Minority backgrounds.
Funded projects will need to offer support outside of existing Career Transition Partnership provision.
Projects can also support family members of Veterans in some circumstances. There is more information about this in the programme guidance.
Access to meaningful employment
Employment rates of Veterans are currently strong, with 87% reported as being in employment within six months of leaving active Service (according to the latest Career Transition Partnership (CTP) Report 2021-2022). However, there are reports of ‘underutilisation’ of Veterans.
By underutilisation, we mean those who are in employment, but the specific position or type of employment does not make full use of the skills, strengths, behaviours and experiences the Veteran has to offer.
The projects funded under the Veterans’ Career Development Fund should aim to help to address these barriers by providing qualifications and training to Veterans and their families who are looking to secure new, or advance within existing, employment.
Collaboration and sustainable changes
This programme will contribute to the Government’s Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan ambition, which identifies that:
“Stable long-term employment opportunities after service are the foundation of positive life outcomes for veterans, and we know that veterans all over the country are leaving service equipped with skills and expertise that benefit not only themselves but our economy too.”
Projects awarded funding under this programme will be tasked with delivering sustainable changes. You’ll need to identify measurable outcomes, and in the spirit of our other funding programmes, we’ll expect you to work collaboratively with other grant holders and wider employment pathways funded by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.
Anna Wright, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “The Veterans’ Career Development Fund offers an important new step in Veterans’ access to meaningful employment that more closely aligns with their skills and experience. Following on from other programmes where collaboration has played a major part in the success of projects, we’re keen for projects funded under this new programme to connect, network and in turn strengthen their provision through joined up working.”
Find out more
Full details of the Veterans’ Career Development Fund are available on our dedicated programme page, including eligibility and deadlines.