Film festival to showcase short films promoting military veterans to North East employers

A series of short films promoting employment opportunities for armed services veterans are to be screened as part of Newcastle International Film Festival.

The Veterans Work films will be shown on Thursday 29 March 2018 as a trailer to the festival’s showing of the classic movie Get Carter, at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle.

It is hoped the films will encourage employers across the North East to consider recruiting veterans to their workforces.

The films were produced following a study by Deloitte, in association with the Officers’ Association and the Forces in Mind Trust, which revealed that much of ‘UK plc’ is failing to realise the potential benefits to employers of veterans.

This is despite nearly 200 businesses signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant, a Ministry of Defence scheme designed to encourage companies to hire veterans.

There are an estimated 2.6 million military veterans in the UK, with 900,000 estimated to be of working age.

The Deloitte-led study found that while 71% of employers would consider employing veterans, just 39% would employ someone without industry-specific experience. This is a major stumbling block for veterans who have only known military service.

Deloitte’s own military transition and talent programme (DMTTP), one of the first of its kind, aims to provide transition support to current and ex-military personnel. It is part of the firm’s One Million Futures strategy to help one million people overcome barriers to education and employment.
 
Stephen Hall, office senior partner for Deloitte in the North East, said: “Since we started our ex-military employment programme we have provided support to more than 1,800 individuals and have employed over 200 veterans. All of them have flourished and I can say, unequivocally, that all have made a significant contribution to our business.

“At a time when many employers are suffering skills shortages and recruitment challenges, veterans can represent an attractive talent pool. Hopefully these films will go some way to helping more employers in the region appreciate the transferrable skills and benefits veterans can bring to their businesses.”

The film series was produced by The Drive Project, whose founder, Alice Driver, was behind the award-winning West End stage show, The Two Worlds of Charlie F.

The Veterans Work films feature celebrity appearances from the likes of Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville, DIY SOS star Nick Knowles, BBC TV presenter Claire Balding and actress and TV presenter Joanna Lumley.

Joanna Lumley, the daughter of a Royal Gurkha Rifles officer, said: “People who've served our country – whether land, sea or air – deserve the greatest protection, affection and support that we can possibly give them.

“These are the people you want. They can do everything, they're punctual, they're used to hard work and they take responsibility. They are just the people you need.”

As well as the famous faces, the films also feature veterans and business leaders from some of the biggest veteran employers in the UK, including Deloitte, Jaguar Land Rover, BT and Alexander Mann Solutions.

Veterans Work films:

What does an idea sound like? https://youtu.be/nghO12pTt34

Not only a veteran https://youtu.be/wte3yljHJ5I

Space for you https://youtu.be/rvG-c5BVWaU