With Remembrance Day just around the corner, SaluteMyJob, a business dedicated to bridging the gap between employers and ex-military jobseekers, is set to embark on a unique roadshow to highlight the unique skills of the Armed Forces Community and the company’s work to help people on their journey from military to civilian life.
As part of the launch of SMJ Consulting Services, the series of events in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh, is designed to explore collaborative solutions that support the Armed Forces Community as they transition into civilian employment.
This will be the first time businesses will hear about the exciting new venture spearheaded by former Brigadier Andrew Jackson and Managing Director of SaluteMyJob, a social enterprise which just celebrated its 10th birthday.
Andrew said: “We wanted the trio of events to be in Scotland as we have long had a connection with Scottish veterans and employers. Our cyber reskilling programme for the Armed Forces Community, is hugely successful; it is part funded by the Scottish Government and is delivered in collaboration with Abertay University and IBM. We have seen a number of veterans come out of our programme and begin a successful career in cybersecurity in Quorum Cyber and Deloitte in Scotland, so we are looking forward to sharing further success stories with Scottish employers - as well as delving into how our new venture can benefit businesses.”
Menbahadur Gurung, a former Gurkha, was part of the one of the first to successfully complete the Ethical Hacking (Penetration Testing) course at Abertay University. Since he completed the course, he began his cybersecurity journey at Woods in Aberdeen and is now working as a Cybersecurity Analyst, at IBM. He said: “Coming from a non-tech background, I challenged myself to pursue a new career in IT. Initially, it was very challenging, but by embracing those challenges every day, I gained a better understanding of cybersecurity and technology. This course has helped me enormously.
“SaluteMyJob has been the backbone of my cybersecurity journey. Providing valuable resources, guidance, training courses and morale support as well as connecting me with industry professionals, has helped me immensely in reaching where I am today.”
Veterans, military spouses and cadets possess the skills, experience and willingness to learn to fill business critical skills gaps facing employers. However, they need help on their journeys from military to civilian life to acquire the requisite skills, practical and commercial experience, and to find and access opportunities. Employers too, often need help to put structured, sustainable and measurable programmes in place to deliver their Armed Forces Covenant pledges, measure the social impact of their work or to access talent from across the full breadth of the 2 million strong UK military community - this is where SMJ Consulting Services will aim to bridge the gap.
The collaborative seminars in Abertay University in Dundee on Tuesday, 12th November, Bridie University in Glasgow on Wednesday, 13th November and La Monde hotel in Edinburgh on Thursday, 14th November, will be a great opportunity for employers to hear about how they can fill critical skills gaps with the talented pool of people in the Armed Forces Community - and how SMJ Consulting Services can help.
For more information on the roadshow and to interview Andrew Jackson, please contact our Marketing Manager Rhian Callcut at rhian@salutemyjob.com
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