Lifeworks, the award-winning national employability programme delivered by RBLI (Royal British Legion Industries), has received a major funding boost from the Veterans’ Foundation.
An award of £75,000, to be paid over three years, will support Lifeworks’ mission of equipping veterans and the families of the Armed Forces community with the skills, knowledge and training they need to pursue meaningful and settled civilian careers.
Since its launch in 2011, Lifeworks has helped nearly 6,000 ex-service personnel to rebuild their confidence and find work. At the heart of the programme is a four-day, in-person course, held at various locations throughout the UK, which supports those leaving the Forces as they make the all-important transition to civilian life and employment. This is followed by a further 12 months of personalised employment and skills training, expert coaching and welfare support.
Lifeworks has enjoyed huge success across the country, with more than 80 per cent of those attending a course finding employment, or training and volunteering opportunities, within a year.
Lisa Farmer OBE, RBLI’s Chief Executive, expressed her gratitude for the funding, which will enable Lifeworks to grow its programme of activities and further enhance its reputation for helping veterans to rebuild their lives.
“Lifeworks has become a gold standard of employability support for veterans and military families, and I offer my huge thanks to The Veterans’ Foundation for its generosity,” she said.
“This type of support helps us to continue to make a national impact. Our experienced leadership team, working alongside occupational psychologists, trainers and support staff, as well as former military and emergency service personnel, enables us to provide an intensive course which can turn around lives in just one week. Nothing is more important to us than seeing our veterans achieve their potential.”
Among Lifeworks’ aims for the next three years, agreed with the Veterans’ Foundation, are to deliver its courses in areas where there are high concentrations of veterans and their families facing deprivation and disadvantage. RBLI will be working with local community partners and Armed Forces networks, and running a growing number of outreach events, to further promote its vital services.
Veterans’ Foundation Grants Manager, Sarah Kelling, added:
“We know how hard it is for some veterans to enter meaningful employment after leaving their service, which is why employability courses such as these are tremendously important.”
