The Enterprise M3 Armed Forces Veterans and Families programme

The Enterprise M3 (EM3) Armed Forces Veterans and Families programme is run by the Forces Employment Charity. It focuses on making employment and education more accessible for Forces families in Surrey and Hampshire.

As an EM3 initiative, the focus is on growing a skilled population by tapping into the sectors based around the M3 corridor. These sectors include, but are not limited to, digital enterprises, medical technology, medical science, gaming, sustainable construction, and space and satellite industries.

EM3 Armed Forces Veterans and Families Programme advisors provide tailored support in areas such as CV support, returning to work, apprenticeships, interview coaching, mentoring and more.

By supporting veterans, military spouses and partners and, for the first time, service children aged 16 to 24, Forces Employment Charity are working to ensure that all appropriate family members can find a route into their ideal career.

The programme provides clients with the best possible routes into sustainable employment by working with employers and schools in Surrey and Hampshire as well partner organisations TechVets, X-Forces Enterprise, University of Winchester and Building Heroes.

Supporting Service Children and Young People

The EM3 Armed Forces Veterans and Families team appreciates the importance of supporting the whole family unit which is why they support service children and young people aged 16 to 24. As the first programme of its kind to support young people this multi-disciplinary team includes a dedicated education and skills liaison and a young person’s caseworker.

Through the provision of one-to-one support, extra education, training and expanding access to employers the programme helps young people raise their aspirations, build confidence, and broaden their employment aims.

Specialist Knowledge and Insight

The EM3 team consists of specialist advisors, all with lived experiences as spouses, partners or veterans as well as professional experience in the Forces employment sector. By drawing upon their own life experiences the team helps raise the aspirations of others and overcome barriers associated with service life.

Training and Events

Clients are supported to identify their transferable skills, create their CV, attend training courses and where possible, introduced to employers and mentors. Recent and future courses include:

– Microsoft Office Skills

– Self-Employment discovery

– Self-Employment workshops

– Start-Up Skills workshops

– Positive Pathways into Higher Education workshops

– Cyber Skills training

– National Apprenticeship Week workshops with Amazon

What to expect and how to sign up

Clients seeking support should head to www.forcesemployment.org.uk/EM3 and join as a veteran, spouse or dependant.

An advisor will then be in contact to discuss their needs. Once these needs have been evaluated clients are supported to develop employability skills such as CV development, job searching, interview skills and training. These employability skills ensure that when clients apply for positions, they can present themselves and their skills in the best possible light.

The EM3 Armed Forces Veterans and Families Programme is an Enterprise M3 LEP initiative (EM3), part-funded by the European Social Fund and Department for Work and Pensions.