Forces Families Jobs is now in its second year and despite the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, it’s seen success stories through military family members finding jobs and employers recruiting from the military community.
Balancing your career alongside service life can be a challenge, so it’s good to know what’s out there specifically for forces families in terms of jobs and training.
FFJ’s news section features regular updates on anything work-related that may affect you as a military spouse or partner, so do check in for the latest info.
Online chat
More than a hundred people joined the first FFJ webinar in September, giving you an insight into the research behind the project, plus an online demo on how to get the most out of the platform and build your CV. Many of you also took the opportunity to talk to the team about the employment issues you face in your areas.
“We ran a separate webinar for employers too,” says AFF employment & training specialist, Jenna Richardson. “It meant we could encourage them to help service families by offering flexibility, working from home opportunities and being sympathetic to leave requests for things like R&R and post-operational tour leave. Lots of companies used the webinar as a training session for their staff to gain a better understanding of military life.”
You can view the webinars on the FFJ website, and do look out for more next year, along with workshops and online training.
Giving back
If you’re thinking about a change of career, getting back into work or upskilling, tap into the many free courses listed on the FFJ training pages. Just because they’re free, it doesn’t mean they’re devalued in some way, it’s quite the opposite – some cost well over £1,500 per person but are funded for military partners and spouses as a way of ‘giving back’.
Keep talking to us
Career development for spouses and partners continues to be a key focus for all three families federations. If you have any issues or concerns, contact Jenna at employment@aff.org.uk