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If your future plans call for a higher-level qualification, or you want to try something new and change direction when you make the transition from Service life, the Access to HE Diploma could be just what you need.

If you’re among the thousands of people whose movements have been restricted by COVID-19, don’t let it knock your plans off course. Thanks to distance learning, even if you’re in isolation or quarantine, you don’t have to abandon your studies. In fact, the enforced constraints could offer the perfect opportunity to focus on picking up new skills and qualifications – without distractions.

Some Service men and women suffer life-changing injuries while serving in the Armed Forces. With so much change to come to terms with in every aspect of daily and family life, it isn’t surprising that many disabled veterans believe that they will never be able to participate in their favourite activities again. The impact that belief has on individuals who may have otherwise lived and breathed sport and fitness throughout their military careers cannot be underestimated.

Austin Phillips and Richard Purdy – engineers from SMD, independent designer and manufacturer of work class and specialist subsea ROVs – tell us about the paths that led them to a career in subsea engineering …

The coronavirus pandemic has affected almost every aspect of life. In April 2020, Veterans UK announced that the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), designed to compensate Armed Forces Personnel injured during service, had been shut down as a result of COVID-19. Fortunately, the closure was only temporary and the scheme has since reopened, and although they may experience a backlog in the short term, it is positive news that a scheme that helps so many is once again operational.

In the second part of our new series on Enterprise Learning, Lt Colonel Ren Kapur MBE, CEO and Founder of X-Forces Enterprise and Chair of the Soldiering on Awards, tells us why enterprise skills are at the centre of everything she does. And, despite the current uncertainty we are experiencing, she tells us why Enterprise Learning should by no means be considered a luxury …

Lt Colonel Ren Kapur MBE (pictured) is CEO and founder of X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) and Chair of the Soldiering On Awards. In this first part of our new series, she explains why enterprise skills are at the centre of everything she does – and, while we are experiencing the fallout from COVID-19, what exactly Enterprise Learning is and why it remains as important as ever …

This new series takes a look at what it’s really like to work in some popular fields …

So says Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the Forces Pension Society, who offers some personal reflections on his own journey through the resettlement financial planning process

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity has been awarded a grant of £295,000 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to assist British nationals in countries across Europe after Brexit …

Many of you will be leaving the Armed Forces with a Resettlement Grant (RG). The RG is a tax-free lump sum intended to help Regular Service personnel settle into civilian life. There is no stipulation as how you use it – you can spend it on beer if you like, but you need to remember that, if you take up another military post too quickly, you might have to repay some or all of it. In this short article Mary Petley of the Forces Pension Society explores the rules relating to RGs …

If your CV includes an MBA, it’s likely to focus employers’ attention. It’s a highly respected qualification, sought after in a wide range of career sectors, and the routes to achieving it are eminently flexible. So what are you waiting for?

Using your ELC wisely while still in uniform won’t just boost your future prospects, it will benefit your Service too.

Once your claim is approved, you’ll find a range of choices available …

Higher education at a college or university is about more than just degree courses – it offers a range of options, many of which have a more vocational slant. So, if you’re ready to step up to the next level, HE could be the option for you.

Need to know more? Here’s who can help …

Take a look at the ELC eligibility rules below to find out …

All you need to know before you get started …

Under the ELC scheme, most courses of study undertaken by individuals still serving are exempt from taxation, either as income or as a benefit in kind, if they can be justified as ‘work related’.

Here’s how to claim your ELC if you are no longer serving …