To celebrate Armed Forces Week, Palletways and its independent members are highlighting their ongoing support for veterans seeking new careers in the transport and logistics industry, to encourage more people to get involved.

Supporting ex-servicemen and women through employment is important to Palletways, having pledged to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2022, and achieved the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award eighteen months later. Since January 2023 fifteen Palletways members have followed suit and pledged their own commitments to the Covenant. In addition to these fifteen members, a dozen more across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are now working alongside Palletways to offer job opportunities to service leavers and support their transition to civilian life.

As well as a change of career, veterans can access additional training, work placements, insight days, mentoring schemes, guaranteed interview schemes and support for reservist leave and deployment.

Service leaver Maggie Williamson, Palletways’ General Manager for Service Excellence, joined the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) at the age of 18 to pursue a career she’d dreamt of since primary school - she served as a Sergeant in the WRAC as a Data Telegraphist and worked in Cyprus and various camps in Germany and Northern Ireland. Commenting, she says: “Palletways has an unwavering commitment to the Armed Forces community and we’re determined to make a positive difference in the lives of those who have served our country.”

Rob Gittins, Managing Director, Palletways UK comments: “I’m proud of how we choose to contribute to the armed forces community as a company, and that’s expanding as member companies get involved too. This is special during this year, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and the culmination of a week of celebrations where the public show their support and appreciation for the Armed Forces community.”

Palletways partners with FrontFoot.Jobs which list vacancies to the armed forces community. The site is dedicated to ex-military, service leavers or their spouses looking for vacancies within companies that support those who have served or still are serving.  Also in the last 18 months, Palletways has attended 18 service leavers’ recruitment fairs through thee British Forces Resettlement Scheme and Career Transition Partnership, accompanied by members which have been beneficial.

One veteran appointment that resulted from attending a careers fair was Rachel Lee, a distinguished former RAF non-commissioned officer, who now works as member GE-BE Transport’s new health, safety and compliance manager. Using her experience in auditing, compliance and health and safety processes gained during seven years at RAF Marham, Rachel now plays a key role in the growth and success of the Norfolk company.

Rachel said: “Ge-Be Transport actively supports veterans in their transition to civilian workplaces and was supportive during my own transition. My new role, which I’m really enjoying, is to further embed health and safety into the DNA of the organisation and foster an inclusive and positive mental and wellbeing culture, to support staff and the communities we work with.”

The annual Armed Forces Day takes place on the last Saturday in June to allow the public to show their support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community, whether they be actively serving, veterans or cadets. This year it falls on June 29.