The new collaboration delivering career opportunities to the ex-Forces community
As part of its enduring commitment to support the Services community into employment, RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity has signed a three-year agreement with Amazon Global Military Affairs to boost the multinational tech giant’s military recruitment strategy in the UK
Amazon has built a strong reputation as a Forces-friendly employer, and recruits hundreds of veterans and military spouses into numerous roles throughout the country every year. Its commitment to supporting veterans has been recognised through the prestigious Gold Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and it has twice won Employer of the Year at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards. The company is now working with RFEA to help the charity extend its provision of specialist services. The diversity of programmes on offer from RFEA, such as its Military Women Programme, Forces for London, Families Programme and TechVets (more info below), make this new collaboration an obvious choice for Amazon and forms part of its military recruitment strategy in the UK.
Military Technical Account Manager Program (MTAMP)
Testament to Amazon’s already strong relationship with RFEA is the recent launch of its AWS Military Technical Account Manager Program (MTAMP), which was created in consultation with TechVets. MTAMP provides a structured path for veterans to become employed in technical roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Ten veterans (seven of whom came through TechVets) started the six-month-long technical training programme in February 2022 with a 16-week foundational cloud computing course that will be followed by on-the-job learning.
Blake Roberts joined the MTAMP after being medically discharged from the Army following a nine-year career. He says, ‘I became increasingly interested in cloud technology, and was looking to try to get into that space, however I lacked the necessary experience. When I found out about the MTAMP, via TechVets, I was immediately interested and excited to be able to pursue my dream career in cloud technology. I was blown away from day one – everyone was very welcoming and supportive. As a new starter coming from a different world, that means a lot. I am very excited about my future with AWS.’
Vets in tech
TechVets director James Murphy is a passionate advocate for veterans launching second careers in tech. He says, ‘Digital and tech is critical for the UK’s future prosperity and we need fantastic talented people to support the growth of the tech sector in the UK. I understand first-hand the challenges that veterans and Service leavers face, but military veterans can provide a diversity of thought yet to be capitalised upon in many tech teams, and they come with incredible professional skills and experience – as well as a ferocious appetite to learn new technical skills quickly. I am extremely proud that TechVets has supported this fantastic programme, affording our members an incredible opportunity to start their new careers in tech.’
Opportunities at Amazon
There are currently roles available at Amazon and AWS in careers as diverse as operations, health and safety, AWS cloud, finance, corporate security, commercial sales, HR and engineering, as well as dedicated apprenticeship programmes and internships. Details of all roles and career opportunities can be found on www.amazon.jobs and you can ‘meet the company’ at Career Transition Partnership careers fairs.
What does RFEA do?
RFEA provides life-long, life-changing support, job opportunities and training to Service leavers, reservists, veterans and their families. Last year, it supported 21,698 ex-Forces personnel and their families, creating 97,826 job opportunities.
The following are among the specialist programmes offered by RFEA:
- Military Women Programme: Led by a female veteran, this programme aims to increase the engagement of women in the veterans’ community and help them equip themselves with job-seeking skills and knowledge, and access Forces-friendly employers. This is in response to research that showed female veterans face more barriers to civilian employment than do their male counterparts.
- Families Programme: Military partners and spouses experience a unique set of challenges when seeking employment – such as frequent moves to remote locations away from conventional support networks. This programme is led by a team of military spouses, who understand the unique challenges of this client group and work extensively to help them achieve their short- and long-term career goals.
- Project Nova: While most veterans transition from a military career to a civilian role, a small number find the change more difficult, which can occasionally spiral into offending. Project Nova, delivered in partnership by RFEA and Walking With The Wounded, supports veterans who have entered, or are at risk of entering, the criminal justice system.
- Forces for London: This programme is dedicated to helping ex-Service men and women living in the capital, and offers one-to-one advice and guidance with a dedicated advisor, plus volunteering, mentoring and work experience opportunities with employers in London who value the skills and attributes of ex-military personnel. It also offers training to help job-seekers gain valuable skills.
RFEA and Amazon, working together
Gillian Russell, principal program manager for Amazon Global Military Affairs, and former Royal Navy Logistics Officer, says: ‘At Amazon, we fully appreciate the value that ex-military bring to the workforce, and we have a dedicated team focused on bringing veterans into the business. We also recognise the exceptional work that RFEA does to support anyone who has served, regardless of rank or length of service, as well as their partners and spouses, to find meaningful employment in the civilian world. We are delighted to be helping RFEA to continue to provide specialist services for members of the military community who may need additional support. We look forward to seeing the impact this will have.’
Alistair Halliday, CEO of RFEA, continues: ’The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw a huge shift in the employment market and, with that, came an increase in the needs of our clients. It is because of the generous support of companies like Amazon, which appreciate the value of employing veterans and their loved ones, that we have been able to not only continue to offer our vital services, but expand many of our programmes. We are incredibly grateful to Amazon for its generosity. Thanks to this support, we can continue to help everyone who needs us, ensuring they are on the road to employment and able to reach their goals.’
Further info
Find out more about RFEA by visiting www.rfea.org.uk/careerssitrep and about job opportunities at Amazon by visiting www.amazon.jobs
About RFEA
RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity exists to provide life-long, life-changing support, job opportunities and training to Service leavers, reservists, veterans and their families, irrespective of circumstances, rank, length of service or reason for leaving.
Founded in 1885 and operating across the UK, RFEA has the specialist knowledge and understanding to bridge the gap between military life and civilian employment. It works in partnership with other organisations and employers who also respect and value the unique qualities and abilities of all those who have served.
Web: www.rfea.org.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RFEA_UK
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RFEATheForcesEmploymentCharity/
About Amazon
Amazon is the largest e-commerce marketplace and cloud computing platform in the world. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, it started as an online bookstore but over the last 28 years has diversified to sell just about anything you can think of! Some 1.6 million people work for Amazon worldwide – 90,000 in the UK alone. We seek leaders that can think big, have a bias for action and deliver results on behalf of our customers. These principles will look familiar to those who have served in the Armed Forces, making employing veterans, reserves and military spouses fundamental to our success. We employ hundreds of veterans and reservists at Amazon in the UK, throughout the country – from Arbroath to Plymouth, Swansea to Sheffield and beyond. In 2022, this programme not only brings the best talent to Amazon and Amazon Web Services to develop into our company’s next big leaders, but also offers rewarding entry-level careers and alternative pipelines, such as dedicated military apprenticeships and internships, to those that have served, and their spouses.
- Featured Advertisers -
