Atlas NextWave & Forces Employment Charity
Forces Employment Charity work with a wide range of employers to support recruitment from the Armed Forces community – including veterans, Service leavers, reservists, and, where applicable, military family members. These employers recognise the value of engaging with military talent. One such employer is Atlas NextWave, a global provider of workforce solutions across the energy, marine, and renewables sectors. They currently hold a bronze level award under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and are working towards silver level.
Atlas NextWave support clients worldwide by delivering skilled talent for complex, safety-critical environments. Their engagement with the Armed Forces community developed organically, as they began to see a growing number of applications from Service leavers. It quickly became clear to them that this talent pool brings highly transferable skills, from discipline and leadership to operating effectively in demanding conditions. Recognising this strong alignment with the needs of the energy sector, they have – since 2024 – taken a more structured approach through their involvement with the Armed Forces Covenant and the Career Transition Partnership.
They note that “One of the key advantages is operational reliability. Veterans are accustomed to working in high-risk, safety-critical environments where procedures, discipline, and accountability are non-negotiable. This translates directly to offshore and energy operations, where consistency, compliance, and attention to detail are essential to maintaining safety and ensuring projects run efficiently”. They have seen that veterans bring a combination of mindset, skills and experience that align extremely well with the demands of energy sector work.
Atlas NextWave are clear that engaging with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and the Forces Employment Charity (FEC) has significantly strengthened their approach to attracting, recruiting, and developing talent from the Armed Forces community. They say that “Their support has been particularly valuable in translating military experience into industry-relevant capabilities, helping both candidates and our internal teams better understand how military roles align with offshore and energy sector positions. This has improved the quality of matches, reduced friction in the recruitment process, and enabled us to build a more effective and scalable pathway for military talent”.
Since engaging with CTP and FEC, they have implemented several targeted initiatives to support the recruitment of veterans and have actively participated in CTP events across key locations in the UK since 2024, enabling them to connect with local talent and support their clients’ project demands with regionally relevant candidates. They say that “implementation of a structured military pathway has enabled us to move from one-off recruitment activity to building long-term, sustainable relationships with military talent. Through our ongoing engagement with CTP and FEC, we have developed a more consistent pipeline of candidates and a clearer framework for how we attract, assess, and support veterans into the energy sector”. They add “This has not only improved the quality and continuity of talent available to our clients, but also allowed us to continuously refine our approach, embedding best practice and continuously strengthening our capability as a long-term partner for both clients and military talent”.
Atlas NextWave would strongly encourage organisations to engage with CTP and FEC, and to actively consider the employment of veterans. They know that the Armed Forces community represents a highly skilled, disciplined, and adaptable talent pool that can add immediate value, particularly in industries where safety, teamwork, and operational excellence are critical. With the right support and understanding of how military experience translates into civilian roles, they are sure that organisations can unlock significant long-term benefits for both their business and their workforce.
In terms of the future they say that “Becoming an Armed Forces-friendly employer is not a one-off achievement, it is an ongoing commitment. Our next phase is focused on building a more structured and scalable approach, strengthening our military talent pathway, and embedding this more consistently across our business. We aim to deepen our partnerships, expand our engagement with Service leavers, and continue refining how we translate military experience into long-term career opportunities within the energy sector, creating long-term value for both our clients and the individuals we support”.
