Sponsored by SSAFA
https:// https://www.ssafa.org.uk/about-us
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09 Nov 23. Babcock International Group (Babcock) has announced a new charity partnership to assist serving soldiers, veterans and their families. The international defence company, which works with its customers to create a safe and secure world, is joining forces with the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF), the British Army’s national charity, to support a number of its key events.
The partnership will play a significant role in supporting ABF to continue in its mission to provide lifetime support to individuals in need through a variety of initiatives including, supplying mobility equipment to help an injured veteran stay active and independent, clearing priority debt for an Army family who lost their income and faces eviction, and providing training to help a service leaver to build a sustainable second career.
Through the multi-year partnership Babcock will sponsor two of the charity’s landmark events – the Cateran Yomp, a gruelling 24 hour, 54-mile trek across the stunning Scottish Highlands, which takes place in June, and Operation Bletchley, a series of codebreaking challenges which sees participants tackle testing codes, explore the great outdoors and uncover a historical secret message to deliver to Winston Churchill before time runs out.
Tom Newman, Chief Executive for Babcock Land, said: “We are delighted to be able to join forces with ABF, to support their vital work and much needed help for our serving soldiers, veterans and their families.
“We work side by side with the British Army delivering critical equipment, support and essential technical training, as well as providing employment opportunities for service leavers and reservists. This partnership with ABF not only reinforces our long-standing relationship, but also enables us to further strengthen our support by inspiring the next generation of the Army family, helping them develop the skills and attitudes of future soldiers and supporting STEM learning and wellbeing outcomes.”
Major General Tim Hyams CB OBE, Chief Executive, Army Benevolent Fund said: “We are so grateful to all our fundraisers and supporters for their incredible generosity, which enables us to ensure that soldiers, veterans, and their immediate families have the opportunity to avoid hardship and enjoy independence and dignity. We are very much looking forward to seeing you all in Scotland in June, when we will be joined by this year’s Ambassador, Mark Harding, who was awarded the Inspiration Award at the 2023 Soldiering On Awards in recognition of his amazing fundraising activities and sheer courage in overcoming injuries sustained on operations in Afghanistan.”
To find out more about ABF visit ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – The Soldiers’ Charity (soldierscharity.org)
08 Nov 23. Capt. William Toti, U.S. Navy (retired), spent 15 years in industry, culminating in a job as CEO, and he witnessed far too many transitioning veterans struggling to adapt to their industry positions.
“Here’s a real statistic for you: 200,000 people leave the military every year, and of those, greater than 50 percent quit their first job or are fired from their first job within two years of leaving the military,” Toti said. “Most transitioning veterans struggle, and it increases their stress level. And for those with PTSD, failure to transition just adds to that.”
On the other side of the equation are companies that don’t understand the veteran mindset and don’t know how to help their veterans succeed, and this disconnect costs companies ms of dollars in lost recruiting costs and compensation.
In an effort to “reboot things for transitioning veterans,” Toti started writing down lessons he had learned in his post-military career. The result is his book, From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership.
“For industry leaders, reading this book will be like listening to one veteran who has succeeded in industry teach other veterans who are trying to learn how to be successful,” Toti said.
From CO to CEO can help recruiters, hiring managers and veterans understand:
- Why veterans decide to leave the service.
- Why some veterans fail to succeed in their civilian careers.
- Which military skills are (and are not) directly translatable to industry.
- How to assist veterans in understanding their new, corporate missions.
- How companies can help ameliorate skill gaps for their new veteran employees.
- Behavioral changes that veterans need to exemplify.
- And much more.
“The book is intended to correct the defects the military injects into its transitioning veterans before they leave service; it’s intended to help companies head off problems in assimilating new veteran employees; and it’s intended to serve as a guide for transitioning veterans to help them understand the business environment and learn new skills necessary for them to succeed,” Toti added.
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SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2020, our teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, the currently serving (both regulars and reserves), veterans from the Second World War and those who have served in more recent conflicts, as well as their families. SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us.
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/about-us
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/support-us
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