London, September 5 2011 – ForceSelect, the UK's leading military service leaver recruitment consultancy, has signed a partnership agreement with Employment and Skills Group (esg.) to provide a complete package of training and job opportunities for the Armed Forces personnel set to join civvy street in the near future.
As the Government confirms the first wave of military redundancies as part of the £5bn Strategic Defence Review, the landmark announcement will add a complementary training offering to the specialist recruitment business, providing service leavers with comprehensive support as they seek to build new careers. Soft skills such as interview coaching will be available alongside specific job training in sectors as diverse as business administration, healthcare, warehousing, storage and IT.
ForceSelect founder Hugh Andrée is determined to help the talented individuals leaving the Forces transition into successful new careers in British businesses and believes that this partnership gives them the tools to maximise their chances of achieving this.
Hugh Andrée said: “ForceSelect has grown immeasurably since it was launched last year and agreeing a partnership with esg. is a great opportunity for us to expand our services and extend our office network across the UK.
“These defence cuts are a huge blow to the UK's national security and with more than 17,000 service personnel set to lose their jobs in the next few years, ForceSelect thought it was vital that we enhance and extend our offering to provide as comprehensive a service as possible.
“UK companies should see this as an opportunity to recruit some of the best young talent this country has to offer. ForceSelect has already seen a significant increase in candidates at all levels and the Ministry of Defence’s loss is the private and third sector's gain.”
Under the terms of the deal, ForceSelect will open offices in Sheffield, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff and Manchester or Liverpool over the next three years, enabling them to assist a greater proportion of the growing number of service leavers across the country.
As part of its holistic approach, ForceSelect will continue to provide non-employment services such as mentoring, housing support and a schools programme.
Gavin Freed, esg. Chief Executive, said: "esg. is delighted to be signing such an important agreement with ForceSelect, who have proved themselves to be leaders in their field. Combined with esg.’s experience of providing both vocational and employability skills, we are confident that we can offer an exemplary resettlement package to service leavers.
“We will work with ForceSelect to provide these men and women with the skills and confidence they need to enjoy a second career in the civilian world at a time when more people are finding themselves unemployed than ever before.” ForceSelect was set up by Hugh Andrée in response to the lack of advice and support he received when he left the Army in 1997.