A PEEBLES man has been chosen to appear in a new film to celebrate the vast array of key attributes possessed by the military community.
The film which was produced by the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) charity is made entirely by veterans and was released on Friday June 24 during Armed Forces week.
RFEA’s research has found that the majority (64%) of employers in Scotland already say they would be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to hire a veteran. And the charity hopes that the film will encourage even more employers to consider bringing veterans into their workforce.
Around 15,000 people leave the UK Armed Forces every year, with transferable skills that are highly sought after in the civilian workforce.
Last year the charity created 97,826 job opportunities (a 47% year-on-year increase) and helped 21,698 ex-Forces personnel and their families with the next step of their career journey to help them find meaningful employment.
Iain Palmer (57) from Peebles joined the Royal Navy aged 18 and served 33-years as a helicopter technician at various locations around the world.
After starting his ‘civvy’ career working in project management for a bank, he now works in the NHS in Galashiels supporting veterans and is passionate about giving back.
He said: “From my own experience ex-service personnel have a vast array of transferable skills.
“Discipline, honesty and integrity are at the heart of every service career. They are also the cornerstones of a good team.
“So you know that when you hire a veteran, that you’re getting a high calibre type of person who has good manners, is respectful to colleagues, will be on time and will be dressed correctly. These qualities are ingrained in you and never leave.
I’m so honoured to have been involved in this film and I hope it helps give a fresh perspective on what we veterans have to offer.”
RFEA Chief Executive, Alistair Halliday, said “As someone who served for 33 years in the Royal Navy, I know first-hand how valuable the skills are that are developed as part of a Military career.
“Hopefully our film will help even more employers understand that it made great sense to hire veterans back then and it still makes great sense now.”
The film will be streamed live across social media on Friday June 24 at 2.30pm and will also be available to watch on the RFEA website
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