Reservists give up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces, balancing their civilian life with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve as part of the military. Reservists are currently supporting operations worldwide.
The Reserve Forces make up approximately one sixth of our Armed Forces personnel and as such are integral to protecting the nation’s security at home and overseas, particularly providing capability in specialist areas such as medical and cyber.
VGC recognises the potential of both serving reservists and ex-military personnel and their transferable skills to contribute significantly to VGC.
Our ex-forces recruitment programme was designed and has been used to tap into the abilities developed during military service, aligning them with the demands of the construction sector.
Our social impact team works closely with ex-military personnel, both on site and in our offices, to develop a holistic programme that encompasses both the recruitment and retention of those leaving the military with a particular focus on understanding the complexity around transition and VGC’s role in supporting that.
Recruitment
We work closely with our Regional Employment Engagement Director to assess the current areas of engagement to target our recruitment activities.
We have collaborated with various military transition programmes and veteran organisations to identify potential candidates which has yielded multiple successful hires
Training and retention
We have an ex-forces working group within our offices that all ex-forces personnel can join to share their experience to improve our programme and have the support of fellow military leavers.
We have regular communications with our site-based staff to ascertain which staff are ex-forces and provide support where necessary. We also gain valuable feedback from our workforce to influence our activities.
In 2024 we launched our Reservist Mobilisation Policy, which will allow all reservists an additional five days of paid annual leave to continue their training and development activities.
Employee recognition scheme
In 2024, we were delighted to receive the Silver Award in the Employee Recognition Scheme. Since then, we have actively taken steps to enhance both our recruitment and retention efforts. We have now completed all the necessary elements for our Gold Award submission and eagerly await the outcome.
In 2024, we were proud to receive the Silver Award in the Employee Recognition Scheme (ERS), recognising our commitment to supporting service leavers, reservists, and local cadet forces. Since then, we have taken proactive steps to further strengthen our recruitment and retention efforts, underpinned by meaningful community engagement. We have now submitted our application for the Gold Award and are confident in securing this recognition in 2025.
The figures:
- 11 reservists are currently employed with VGC. We fully acknowledge their contribution to UK Defence and have a dedicated policy in place that enables them to balance a successful career in construction with their reservist duties, including the time needed to fulfil their training and operational commitments.
- 12 service leavers have successfully transitioned into roles at VGC, thanks to our recognition of their transferable skills and the structured support we provide throughout their journey.
“There is no one size fits all industry or company for service personnel leaving their respective services, but I was fortunate to find a company that embodies qualities I would suggest are essential for all leavers; vision, patience, acceptance, and enduring support.” – David Brevitt, Head of Business Performance
“I have been made to feel very welcome at VGC in the 11 months since I started. The major difference from previous employers is that VGC provides a personal level of integration, I feel like a name and not a number.” – Danny Carr, Labour Resourcer
“As I reflect on the journey from military service to civilian employment, I am genuinely grateful for the positive impact that VGC has had on my life. The experience has not only been a career transition but a life transition, and VGC’s support has played a significant role in making it a smooth and fulfilling process.” – Zara Mackintosh, Business Transformation Manager
