UK INDUSTRY is contending with an ongoing skills shortage, with some 76% of engineering employers struggling to recruit for key roles, according to figures from the IET. Yet a substantial pool of qualified engineering talent leaves the Armed Forces each year, often without industry knowing how to draw on it.

The UK Armed Forces are widely recognised not only for their operational roles but also as a significant employer of highly skilled technical professionals, including maintenance engineers and technicians. Service personnel typically receive comprehensive technical education, often leading to recognised qualifications that are transferable to civilian careers.

Skills that translate to industry

An Armed Forces background has a natural alignment with manufacturing, combining a comprehensive range of technical skills with valuable personal qualities such as discipline, leadership, adaptability and problem-solving, all of which are highly useful in an industrial context. 

A sustained effort to connect veterans with industry has been underway for more than a decade. The Armed Forces Covenant was introduced in 2011 with organisations continuing to sign it week-on-week. The employer-focused element has been boosted by the Bronze, Silver and Gold Employer Recognition Scheme, further encouraging businesses and organisations to actively support service personnel, reservists, veterans and their families in the workplace.  

A new campaign from the government’s Office for Veterans’ Affairs, the Veterans Industry Engagement Programme, was launched in 2024 aiming to use the advocacy of trade bodies and membership bodies to lead the way, with support from the Service charity sector.

Two industry bodies join forces

As part of this, Mission Community, the industry advocacy arm of Service charity Mission Motorsport, has recently spotlighted MissionManufacturing at MACH 2026. The new collaborative campaign is delivered in partnership with the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA).  

"The MTA is committed to dismantling the roadblocks that can prevent veterans from flourishing in the civilian workplace despite their experience and transferable skills," said MTA CEO James Selka. "We are proud of our ongoing work with Mission Community which has enabled our organisation to advocate for the wider Armed Forces Community far more effectively and given us the tools to start other members of the manufacturing industry on the same path. 

"Our industry continues to endure a shortage of skills and MissionManufacturing is an excellent win-win way to help address this," he affirmed.

A new guide for Service leavers

The campaign kicked off with the launch of The Manufacturing Industry Guide for the Armed Forces, which made its debut at the National Transition Event at Silverstone in March. Co-written by Mission Community and the MTA, the new guide aims to ensure the Armed Forces community can access the most up-to-date information about the opportunities that await them post service.

More recently, the new guide has received a Royal response at MACH, with the Duke of Edinburgh visiting Mission Community’s stand where he was presented with a copy of the new handbook.

For manufacturers struggling to fill engineering roles, the message from MissionManufacturing is straightforward: a substantial pool of skilled, ready-trained talent is leaving the Armed Forces each year, and it has never been easier to engage with it.

The guide can be accessed here: www.missioncommunity.org/manufacturingguide 

Further details of the Veterans Industry Engagement Programme are available here: www.gov.uk/guidance/veterans-industry-engagement-programme

For more information: 

www.missioncommunity.org