On 19 February the Reserve Forces and Cadets’ Association for Greater London hosted an Employer Recognition Scheme Celebration event in the Samoa Suite at the HMS Wellington in London. In addition to the networking event, organisations were awarded their revalidated Gold or Silver ERS award.

NELFT is proud to receive its revalidated Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award for another five years.

This revalidation follows NELFT’s initial ERS Gold Award in 2020, recognising our continued commitment to support defence and the Armed Forces community.

To receive the Gold Award, employers must demonstrate they:

• Advocate for the armed forces community and/or the Employer Recognition Scheme.
• Encourage a positive workplace environment for Active Reservists by ensuring that supportive policies for Reservists are communicated to line managers, as well as providing at least 10 days additional paid leave each year.
• Demonstrate support to the Cadet movement by committing resources to improve the outcomes for cadets.
  

From stakeholder engagement to recruitment support, NELFT has continued to go above and beyond its Armed Forces covenant pledges. In the revalidation application, NELFT reaffirmed its commitment through initiatives such as:

• Recruitment and retention of members of the armed forces by proactively promoting our forces-friendly credentials.
• Hosting recruiting events for Reserves, service leavers, cadets and their spouses, and registering for the Forces Families Jobs portal.
• Armed Forces staff network to support colleagues who are members of the Armed Forces Community and engage with them in implementing forces friendly initiatives.

Cherrise Chand, Head of Resourcing at North East London NHS Foundation Trust and Armed Forces Champion said:

“We are delighted to receive the ERS Gold Award revalidation for another five years, reinforcing our unwavering commitment to support the Armed Forces community (service leavers, veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteer instructors, military spouses and family members). This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Armed Forces Champions at NELFT and HR colleagues in putting supportive policies in place.”