The
Deployment to Employment report, undertaken by the Royal British Legion, shows that there are 1,110,000 military veterans of a working age in the UK. Some 120,000 of them are unemployed. “Every year since its inception, an increasing number of organisations have signed the Armed Forces Covenant,” it said, “which makes it is all the more surprising that employer perceptions prevent veterans from attaining work.” Military veterans felt job interviewers still held preconceptions about their time in the forces, with one of the most common and innapropriate questions being whether they had killed someone in combat. When it came to employers, the report cited one as saying: “We need to keep our staff happy and the last thing they need is someone from outside who comes in and barks orders”. What the Legion deemed the “mad, bad and sad” sterotype is exactly what one football club is trying to fight against. Tottenham Hotspur is said to be a long-standing supporter of the
armed forces and alongside charity Sporting Force, it will be looking to fill 50 full-time and part-time jobs in it’s new stadium due to open later this year. The scheme is said to be the largest of its kind in the Premier League. And successful candidates will complete a training course so they can be “ready to go” by the time the stadium opens. In large part due to the size of the stadium, numerous jobs have been created. The development will support around 3,500 jobs, Tottenham added, with £293m to be pumped into the local economy each year. Tommy Lowther, the founder of Sporting Force, said, “After leaving the military, adjusting to civilian life can be challenging. Many veterans are unable to find work and suffer financially. Working in partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a brilliant opportunity to give ex-service men and women a new sense of purpose and a feeling of belonging.”
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