Section 4 – Veterans and the Law: Employment
Policy and Operational Context
As noted in the previous sections of this report, a small number of veterans in Scotland come into contact with the law through offending behaviour. However, many more veterans become involved in enforcing and upholding the law and in supporting those who become part of the offender population.
It is recognised that veterans and their families make a valuable contribution to Scotland’s economy and – as employees – can bring a breadth of skills, experience, and knowledge to an organisation. Considerable progress has been made to support veterans and their families to access high quality employment opportunities across a range of sectors, including the continued development of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership’s (SCQFP) military skills discovery tool which was formally launched in spring 2023.
The understanding of the benefits veterans bring to the workplace continues to grow, and they are in demand by employers. Forces Employment Charity noted earlier this year that the number of employers across the UK actively looking to hire veterans has increased by over 20% in the last five years, with employers noting that veterans bring strong leadership attributes, team spirit, and unique skills to their workforce.
The Scottish Prison Service and Police Scotland recognise the benefits of recruiting ex-Service people and are very active in this regard. The Career Transition Partnership - the formal resettlement programme for those leaving the armed forces - is one of the main ways for employers to access and recruit Service leavers with around 1,500 employers involved in Scotland. Both the Scottish Prison Service and Police Scotland attend career fairs organised by them. This ensures that career opportunities in those organisations are specifically highlighted to future service leavers from two years before discharge until two years after discharge and allows them to attract them into a wide range of roles.
Police Scotland actively support potential recruits who identify as veterans throughout the recruitment process. Police Scotland estimate that they employ around 700 veterans across the country, which represents around 3% of their 23,000 staff. While their main engagement is with the Career Transitions Partnership, they also engage with Officers Association Scotland (who despite their name work with all ranks). This engagement has grown and developed over the years.
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) acknowledges employers that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant. The scheme recognises the different levels of commitment provided by employers, this is done through a 3-tier approach of bronze, silver, and gold awards. Police Scotland are holders of a gold award, the Scottish Prison Service are at silver level and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are working towards their bronze award.
As civil service employers, both the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) can utilise the UK Government ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ Scheme. This allows veterans who meet the minimum criteria for a role to progress directly to the next stage of the recruitment process.
The ‘Going Forward into Employment’ programme is also in place for the civil service and provides opportunities for groups of people who may experience barriers to finding employment. Veterans (and their spouses) are one of the groups included in the scheme as some may struggle to make the transition to civilian employment. The programme provides work placements and fixed term contracts for up to 24 months and can lead to permanent employment.
Both of these initiatives support veterans to access a wide range of employment opportunities within those organisations, bringing their skills, training, and qualifications to a sector where they can add value.
For all the organisations mentioned here there is an important task to communicate the breadth of roles and opportunities available so they can attract veterans to apply. There is competition to recruit from the armed forces, so it is key for veterans considering their options to understand where opportunities exist in these organisations, to utilise their skills and experience and make a positive contribution.
The charities in Scotland who support veterans who come into contact with the justice system, for example Sacro and SSAFA, often have members of the veteran community as employees or volunteers. They understand the armed forces and what it means to have served, and this can be helpful (and sometimes essential) in building trust and relationships with veterans who need help but may be reluctant to ask for or accept it.
Testimony to the Commissioner
Employees of the Scottish Prison Service and Police Scotland reported being attracted to joining a uniformed service that provides stability of both employment and geographic location, especially amongst those with partners and children. Some noted that there was potential for a more active approach to recruitment of veterans, particularly in the Scottish Prison Service.
In general, they felt that the skills, knowledge and experience they brought to their new organisations were appreciated and utilised and that they were able to support the veterans they interact with by drawing on that background. They also felt they had a role to play in supporting their colleagues to better understand the veteran community.
A significant amount of work has gone in to ensuring that reservists in Police Scotland are properly supported. As well as effective and clear policies and procedures, good relationships between the armed forces and Police Scotland are necessary to achieve this.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service noted that they had veteran employees in a range of positions across the organisation and the experience, skills, and work ethic they bring are invaluable.
Several people I spoke with felt that the extent and range of employment opportunities across the justice system in Scotland was not fully recognised by Service leavers. As well as the more ‘traditional’ roles such as prison officers or police officers, there was considerable potential to recruit for roles in digital, logistics, security, planning, physical training and others.
It was noted that the disclosure or recording of veteran status on HR systems is optional within organisations and it is an ongoing challenge to encourage employees to input this.
What can be improved
Employment is an area where good practice and supportive processes are having a positive impact. Veterans, the organisations they work or volunteer for, and those individuals and communities they support are all benefitting.
A more robust and systematic approach to capturing veteran status of employees would enable a clearer understanding of the veteran workforce. In some organisations this is in development as new recruits join and through encouraging existing staff to record their veteran status on HR systems.
A better understanding of their veteran workforce would enable organisations to make the best use of the veterans they employ, allowing them to maximise the benefits of the skills, experience, and attributes they bring.
Using the Career Transition Partnership to advertise specific roles and raise awareness through promotional activity and careers fairs is a positive direction of travel and should be maintained. Service leavers may be unaware for example of the range of roles available to them in the Scottish Prison Service or Police Scotland.
Partnering initiatives with the Career Transition Partnership such as industry specific insight days or webinars could provide greater awareness of the options for working in the justice sector in Scotland.
Good Practice - Police Scotland Recruitment
Any ex-Service or serving candidate considering a transition/career within Police Scotland is afforded support from the very earliest stages, which continues throughout their recruitment journey.
A candidate may initially be directed to the Positive Action Team (PAT) via a Military liaison officer, or they may be contacted by the PAT subsequent to completing their initial registration, where there is a specific question in relation to past or current Military Service. Confirmation of this question triggers a member of the PAT to contact the potential candidate. This is in line with the Police Scotland approach to recruitment designed to support all under-represented groups such as BME/WME and Women.
Once identified, candidates are invited to a 90-minute online event specifically for Service leavers and veterans, where they are offered guidance and support through application process and the subsequent stages of the recruitment process. The online events are informal, relaxed and regularly benefit from the attendance of an officer with ‘lived experience’ who has already completed this process. This process will allow the candidate to recognise and maximise opportunities to highlight their unique transferrable skills and qualifications. A consistent and specific point of contact maintains regular contact with each candidate helping to support the candidate through their journey.
As at August 2024, Police Scotland had 22 Service leavers and veteran candidates identified at the standard entrance and fitness test phase and 12 were ready for their assessment day for the next intake.
For those Service leavers not living in Scotland a condensed recruitment event can be offered when everything can take place over two days. Recruiters will ask about a Service leaver’s discharge date and try and work as close to this as possible.
Additionally, via the ERecruitment process Service leavers can sign up to receive ‘alerts’ for specific roles/ areas of work within Police Scotland.
