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THE REGULAR FORCES EMPLOYMENT ASSOCIATION (RFEA) LAUNCHES
A NEW EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
The Regular Forces Employment Association is launching an employment service for; those people leaving the Armed Forces who are not entitled to the Ministry Of Defence (MOD)- Resettlement, service delivered by the Career Transition
Partnership.
The RFEA was established as a charity in 1885 to help ex-Service personnel gain rewarding and sustainable civilian employment; providing job-finding services throughout the UK and in Germany.
In 1998 we the RFEA became a sub- contractor to Right Management, the MOD prime contractor in the delivery of resettlement services to those leaving the Armed Forces after serving for 4 or more years. The new service assists those who have been in the military for less than 4 years, or have served for longer but have been discharged early, or are Reservists who have completed at least one operational tour. The former two categories of Service Leavers are termed collectively by the MOD as Early Service Leavers (ESL). Funded by generous donations from the ex-Service benevolent funds, principally the Army Benevolent Fund; and by a grant for IT resources from the Veterans Challenge Fund; our work for these people has been developed by two, Specialist Employment Consultants (SEC) based in the North and the Midlands. Using bespoke customer relationship management tools developed by the RFEA, the SEC are able to provide a comprehensive service ranging from signposting to appropriate agencies up to a full job-finding service including advice & guidance, CV development, access to training opportunities, job-matching and access to customised job-boards. Supporting services are provided by our network of 25 Employment Consultants across the UK and Germany who provide employment services to personnel entitled to MOD support within the Career Transition Partnership and to those entitled personnel who have been out of the military for more than 2 years. For more information and access to this new service contact:
Kevin Hartley at kevin@regularforcesemployment.co.uk or on 01457 831140
PO Box 126
Stalybridge
SK15 2LE
01457831140
07875480607
Kevin@regularforcesemployment.co.uk
www.regularforcesemployment.co.uk
www.rfea.org.uk
Editors Information:
In October 2007 the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) put in place a study to confirm whether or not there was a need to provide job-finding services to Early Service Leavers. The 6 month study concluded there was a real and necessary requirement to provide such a service. During the same period the House of Commons of Public Accounts Committee met to discuss Ministry of Defence ‘LEAVING THE SERVICE’. Entirely independently of each other, both our study and the report concluded there was probably a greater need to assist, Early Service Leavers than those serving a full career because the latter would probably be more capable of establishing themselves back into civilian life. Early Service Leavers can now access this service by logging onto www.rfea.org.uk and following the instructions or by ringing 01457831140.
HISTORIC MILESTONES (1885 TO 2006)
It has been recognised for many years that the State has a responsibility to assist persons recruited into the Armed Forces of the Crown to find civil employment on discharge, and that the prospects of such employment should improve the retention and recruitment within the Services.
There are records since 1871 of studies by Parliamentary and Treasury Committees as to how this responsibility should be fulfilled.
On 4th February 1885, the "National Association for Employment of Reserve and Discharged Soldiers" was founded and the first Annual Report of this Association stressed the importance of establishing Provincial Branches and of setting up a central office to co-ordinate the work of these Branches.
The first reference to Government interest in the Association is recorded in 1887 in the form of a grant of £200.
In 1891 the Association strongly emphasised the need for preparation for civil employment during the course of Regular service.
By the end of the nineteenth century the Association was well established and was placing large numbers of ex-soldiers in employment in Government Departments.
In 1904 the limitation of character assessment 'Good' or better was introduced for the first time.
In 1922, it was decided that the Association should extend its services to sailors and airmen and to adopt the title "National Association for Employment of Regular Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen."
The need for a more positive recognition of the Association's work was accepted in 1935 by the evolution of a scheme of co-operation in the Ministry of Labour designed to standardise procedures so as to secure the greatest amount of employment possible for ex-Regulars. Also in the 1930s the secondary title of “Regular Forces Employment Association” was adopted although the full title continued in use until 1967 when the shortened title replaced it for everyday use.
By 1950, it was decided that the qualifying period should be three years Regular service and that members of the Women's Services should qualify for registration under the same conditions as for men.
In 1961, responsibility for Resettlement affairs was placed on the Education Branches of the three Services. The linking of the Service Departments, the Ministry of Labour, the Association and the Officers' Association into the Regular Forces Resettlement Service, strengthened the close bonds of co-operation between the constituent parts. This led to a better recognition of the Association's services in finding suitable employment for ex-Regulars, with the emphasis on preserving a long-term and enduring interest in them.
In 1964, with 48 branches throughout the country, the Association received 14,716 registrations and placed 11,922 into jobs. By 1971 there were 44 branches, 11,978 registrants and 9,021 placements. By 1980 the number of branches had been reduced to 40 and registrants to 9,597. Of those 5,587 had been placed.
In 1992 following another period of reducing numbers in the Armed Forces as a consequence of the end of the cold war, the recently formed Tri-Services Resettlement Organisation was given considerable powers to improve the existing arrangements.
By 1994 the registrant numbers had risen again, to 12,771 but placements were down to 4,823. The link between reducing numbers of branches and Employment Officers and the loss in percentage placements was difficult to dismiss.
In 1995 the Association, now reduced to 39 branches, continued to play a full part in finding employment for ex-regular servicemen and women, registering 12,241 and placing 4,903. In that year the MoD determined to put much of its resettlement responsibilities in the hands of commercial specialists. It was then decided that the RFEA, in order to comply with the new requirements, should cease to be an unincorporated association, and on 1st April 1997 became a company limited by guarantee (Company Registered Number 3270369) trading as RFEA Ltd’. At the same time the Association remained a registered charity (Registration Number 1061212)
In 1996 it was resolved to clarify the situation of officers commissioned from the ranks by inviting them to apply for help. The widows and widowers of eligible servicemen and women were also invited to use the services of the Association.
In 1997 the then Coutts Consulting Group was selected by the MoD to deliver resettlement services to Service Leavers and the RFEA was appointed as sub-contractor to Coutts Consulting Group for the delivery of job-finding services. At the same time, funding from the MoD directly ceased. Funding from Service and ex-Service charities (Army Benevolent Fund, Naval Funds, RAF Benevolent Fund, etc.) continued unabated, underwriting RFEA work on behalf of those personnel who had become ineligible for MOD resettlement services because they had been out of the Armed Forces for more than two years.
During 2003, Trustees decided to scrap the rule requiring a client to have been in the Regular Forces for more than three years and deemed to be of ‘good character’. This was in order to bring the Association in line with other associated charitable organisations such as the Officers’ Association, the Royal British Legion and the White Ensign Association.
In the following year it was resolved to assist Territorial Army reservists who had seen active service in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
During 2003 to 2005 the MoD conducted a competition for the provider of their next resettlement contract from October 2005 and it was won by Coutts Consulting Group, now renamed Right Management. In April 2005, the RFEA was again selected by Right Management as sub-contractor for job-finding services but this time the Association went into the sub-contract in partnership with the Officers’ Association under the auspices of a shell company called the Joint Employment Partnership. The terms of the sub-contract meant substantial restructuring and by mid-2005 the Association had 24 Branches around the UK supported by a small administration team in Birmingham. In addition Association staff formed the nucleus of Right Management’s Central Employment Team. A formal 10-year sub-contract was signed with Right Management on 23 December 2005, effective from 1 October 2005.
During the 2005/6 financial year the Association assisted nearly 9,800 people into work, in the process generating over 25,000 job opportunities.
ABOUT THE REGULAR FORCES EMPLOYMENT ASSOCIATION (RFEA)
“The Regular Forces Employment Association has the simple aim of helping men and women leaving the Armed Forces to find and to remain in employment throughout their working lives” says Air Marshal Sir Christopher Coville KCB BA FCIPD FRAeS, President of the Association’s Board of Directors.
“We use our UK-wide network of branches to guide and encourage Service leavers to apply their talents where they are best needed in the civilian job market and, in so doing, provide employers with access to thousands of highly skilled and motivated people to fill their vacancies - all at no cost.
“Our objectives hold as good today as they did when we were founded in 1885 and I am pleased to announce that we commence a second successive contract on 1st October 2005, this time for 10 years, as a sub-contractor to RightCoutts to provide assistance to Service Leavers.”
Since the formation of the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in 1998, the RFEA has supported Service Leavers, as the principal job finding arm of this partnership, between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Consultants, through which the RFEA receives the bulk of its funds. We are proud to have been part of the claim that 95% of those who pass through the CTP achieve employment within 6 months.
Support to ex-Servicemen and women, who have been out more than two years and who are no longer eligible to receive the MOD sponsored service, has continued as a result of generous annual donations from the single Service Benevolent Funds.
As a result of these two funding streams and being a charitable not-for-profit organization, the Association is able to offer employers a no-cost recruitment service that directly benefits both them and those who are leaving or have left the Forces.
Co-ordinated by a small Head Office team in London, the RFEA operates a network of Branches throughout the United Kingdom, staffed by Employment Consultants, themselves all ex-Servicemen and women, with further proven experience of trade, industry or commerce, who maintain close and regular contact with local employers.
We also ensure that we can put Service Leavers and ex-Servicemen and women in touch with a wide range of other ex-Service charities and organizations offering advice and support on housing, schools, training, health, social and welfare matters.
Our core activity is job-finding advice, information and support. It ranges from advising on local job prospects through to providing actual vacancies and assistance. As from 8 May 2005 we amalgamated resources with the Officers’ Association to deliver job-finding solutions to Service Leavers and ex-Service personnel of all ranks.
If you are planning to leave the Armed Forces and want to find out more about the Career Transition Partnership or access an Employment Consultant, log on to www.ctp.org.uk.
If you are an employer and considering recruiting from this pool of skilled and highly competent candidates log onto www.ctp.org.uk and follow the links to the employer pages.
If you have been out of the Armed Forces for more than two years and was eligible for resettlement support contact the RFEA Central Employment Team based in Birmingham on 0121 236 0058 or email to adminrfea@ctp.org.uk |
