Barclays celebrates decade of supporting military veterans, updates Armed Forces Covenant

Barclays celebrates decade of supporting military veterans, updates Armed Forces Covenant

(IN BRIEF) Barclays announces updated pledges to support the Armed Forces Community through the Armed Forces Covenant, a decade after its initial commitment. The new pledges include tailored support for veteran entrepreneurs, bespoke employment support for service leavers, and support for military spouses/partners. The updates were celebrated with a roundtable hosted by Barclays’ Executive sponsor for the Military Veterans Outreach program and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. In the past decade, Barclays has helped over 7,000 servicemen and women and provided jobs to over 700 veterans through its outreach program.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 31-Jan-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  Barclays (LON: BARC), a British multinational universal bank, has renewed its commitment to the Armed Forces community by updating its pledges to the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant is a national promise to ensure fair treatment for those who serve or have served in the military and their families.

Barclays has made several new commitments, including:

  • A “Veterans Owned Business” strategy for tailored support for veteran entrepreneurs
  • Bespoke employment support for Service Leavers via the Barclays Military Talent Scheme
  • Employment and business support for Military Spouses/Partners

Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, signed the updated Covenant and praised Barclays as a leading UK employer of veterans and military family members.

Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said: “To celebrate a decade of formally supporting the Armed Forces community, I am delighted to sign Barclays updated Armed Forces Covenant. As one of the UK leading employers of veterans and military spouses and partners, these pledges set the conditions for the next ten years of Barclays support and advocacy to this community.”

Barclays’ executive sponsor for the Military Veterans Outreach (MVO) program, Alistair Currie, met with Minister for Veterans Affairs, Johnny Mercer, to host a roundtable with veteran employees of Barclays. The discussion focused on the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life and provided the bank with insights on how to better support the government’s Strategic Action Plan for veterans.

Minister Mercer praised Barclays for putting veterans at the heart of their business and for encouraging self-declaration of veteran status among employees.

Alistair Currie said the collaboration with the government and open dialogue with veterans was crucial for the future success of the MVO program. He added that military veterans bring significant value to Barclays and praised the bank’s achievements over the last decade.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said: “Barclays are a fantastic example of an employer who put veterans at the heart of what they do.

“This includes in important areas such as data, encouraging people to self-declare their veteran status so they know how many ex-forces personnel they employ.

“Meeting some of their staff today who had previously served was a reminder of the fantastic skills and experience that veterans can bring businesses.”

Alistair Currie, Barclays Global Head of Consumer Banking and Payments and executive sponsor for the MVO programme, said: “Thank you to the Rt Hon Minister Mercer for joining us and several of our brilliant veterans to discuss how we can continue to ensure that our support of the Armed Forces Community is best in class.

“Having this collaboration with Government and open dialogue with veterans is vital to the futureproofing of our programme.

“Military veterans bring huge value to Barclays, and they make a significant contribution to our success. I’m extremely proud of all we have done over the last decade and look forward to seeing the programme continue to thrive.”

In the last 10 years, Barclays has helped over 7,000 servicemen and women through its Military and Veterans Outreach program, leading to over 700 veterans securing employment.

Media contact:
ukpressoffice@barclays.com

SOURCE: Barclays

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