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Second Careers for Wounded, Injured or Sick (WIS) Members of the Armed Forces

Supporting the MOD and the Defence Employment and Opportunities Team (DEOT) in getting people into salaried, supported and sustainable employment, including skills training and the achievement of relevant vocational qualifications.

BET Support

“I read with interest the detail of the Business Education Trust plans. I look forward to seeing the results. Thank you for your continued support and engagement in this important area.”
Major General Gerry Berragan CB - Director General of Personnel, Headquarters Land Forces

Introduction

For over 50 years the Business Education Trust (BET) has been helping people with their employment and with progressing their careers in business. Its resources are now totally focused on providing second careers for members of the Armed Forces who are wounded, injured or sick (WIS)

All those personnel discharged because of injuries sustained during their service are entitled to the fullest level of resettlement provision.

The key to this project are the work-based learning Providers (WBLPs): those 600 organisations which have been successful in achieving government supported programmes to deliver training, qualifications and, above all, jobs to large numbers of people of all ages. They cover every city, town and village in the United Kingdom, and every single occupational area or type of employment.

Because of the strong and beneficial links between BET and the WBLPs, they have offered to make over 250 places on their Apprenticeship, Work Choice and other programmes available to members of the Armed Forces, where the decision has been made that those people are to leave the Services and seek a second career.

The Website

This website and database, which can be accessed by Personnel Recovery Officers (PROs), has been established to help WIS Personnel towards supported and sustainable employment:

Near to where they want to live,
In their preferred job role;
At the right level; particularly bearing in mind any temporary or permanent limitations they may have;
Where they are paid a wage from day 1;
Which will provide them with training, leading to relevant vocational qualifications; and
Which will take into account their prior learning, qualifications and experience.

The Process

The PROs will help WIS Personnel with this BET database and come up with a number of suitable opportunities. They will then contact the employers concerned, through the WBLP, and arrange an interview - just like any other job-seeking situation. Having attended the interview, for which the individual will be fully briefed in advance and, hopefully, been selected by the employer, they will be signed up for the programme concerned

While on the programme they are a member of staff just like any other employee.

While on the programme – where they are a member of staff just like any other employee - they will be allocated a Trainer Assessor from the WBLP who will remain in very frequent touch with them and provide guidance and support. They will also be allocated a work-place supervisor who will guide them day by day.

The details describing the workings of the Apprenticeship and Work Choice programmes are also shown on this website.

All aspects of the programme are carried out in the work-place; including discussions between the individual, PRO, Trainer Assessor and employer. Most programmes last between a year and eighteen months, and the hope and expectation would be that the individual will remain with that same employer subsequently; in a permanent and supported job.

The Business Education Trust team wish all WIS Personnel every success in their second career

J H Pitman OBE

1 July 2011