The FM contract firm Mitie is among the Gold Award winners on the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme, to show its commitment to supporting the UK’s Armed Forces.
The scheme recognises public and private sector bodies that have provided support to the UK Armed Forces, going beyond their Armed Forces Covenant pledges. Gold is the highest level; Mitie received Silver last year. The armed forces community includes veterans, reservists and family members. Over the past 12 months the FM firm says that it has introduced an extra ten days paid leave – up from five days unpaid – for Reservists to attend training and mobilisation.
The plc has also set up new mentoring and career transition support for those leaving the Forces as they transition to civilian life. Through the ‘Mitie Military’ armed forces network, employees can access mentoring, and advice on furthering their career. Meanwhile, the network has also supported the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to provide those leaving the forces with experience to better understand facilities management.
Mitie has run supplier engagement days across the country, attended by over 250 businesses, to show the benefits of employing from within the Armed Forces community.
Charles Antelme, Head of Defence at Mitie, said: “We are incredibly proud to have received the Gold Award recognising our support for the Armed Forces community. It is acknowledgement of the great strides we have made in supporting the wider military family, especially considering we received the Silver Award just one year ago. Our Mitie Military are an incredibly important part of our business, bringing new perspectives, ideas and skills at every level of the organisation. We are committed to continuing to build our support for the Armed Forces making a positive impact for veterans, reservists and forces’ families both inside Mitie and beyond.”
And Johnny Mercer, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, said: “The breadth and diversity of the winners this year shows how business support for the Armed Forces continues to grow no matter the sector, company size or location. I am grateful for the positive attitude and flexible policies these organisations have adopted towards the defence community, which is testament to the fantastic contribution our serving personnel, veterans and their families can make to any organisation.”
Pictured left to right, from February, courtesy of Mitie – Air Marshal Richard Knighton CB, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Finance and Military Capability) and Phil Bentley, Mitie CEO, re-signing the Covenant.
