Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded £115K to the OA, to identify the transition challenges and barriers that all ranks of Service leavers aged 50 plus face when entering civilian employment.
This is the first time the specific challenges that older Service leavers encounter on the transition pathway will be examined.
Spanning a year, the project will take a tri-Service approach and cover all ranks. The research will be carried out with the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce (CROW) who specialise in research into employability of the older population. A mixed methods approach will be used including focus groups and surveys of both Service leavers and employers. In addition, a wide range of stakeholders will be consulted including government departments and Armed Forces charities.
The study will also explore the impact for Service leavers from an employer’s perspective and identify areas of best practice where organisations are supporting this group of potential employees.
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind, said: “It has become a rarity for a Service person to leave the Armed Forces and not seek some form of employment, regardless of their age. In wider society, demographics and economics suggest that many people will be working throughout their later years. It is vital that when leaving the Armed Forces, at whatever age, that future employment is accessible, suitable and fulfilling. That act of transition is successful for the majority of Service leavers, but there is a minority who have a more challenging experience.
