Representing the highest badge of honour, the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Awards identifies businesses that employ and support those who serve, veterans and their families.

A total of 156 organisations have been recognised this year, the ninth year of the awards scheme.

Of the winners, 44% are either micro-organisations or small and medium sized enterprises, while 33% are public organisations. This demonstrates both the growth in numbers and the depth of supportive employers.

Councils, charities, blue light services, retail and insurance companies are among those that have been recognised.

Minister for Defence People Leo Docherty said:

Regardless of size, location or sector, employing members of the Armed Forces community is good for businesses.

These awards recognise the outstanding support for our Armed Forces from employers across the UK and I would like to thank and congratulate each and every one.

The Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Awards continues to grow in strength each year, with a current total of 643 holders. Organisations must reapply after five years in order to retain their Gold Award status.

To win an award from the Ministry of Defence, organisations must show that they provide 10 extra paid days leave for reservists and have supportive HR policies in place for veterans, reserves, Cadet Force adult volunteers and spouses and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.

They must also advocate the benefits of supporting those within the Armed Forces community, by encouraging others to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and engage in the Employer Recognition Scheme.

Among those recognised include Morgan Stanley, IBM, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Admiral Group and Groundwork.

Head of People at Admiral Group Rhian Langham said:

We’re thrilled to be recognised with the prestigious Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. Inclusivity is a key part of our culture at Admiral, and we’re proud to create an environment where everyone feels supported.

Our colleagues with Armed Forces connections have such a positive impact on our business, particularly through their impressive resilience and adaptability, and we’re committed to continue giving them the support they need.

Executive Director at Groundwork Greater Manchester Mike Ormond said:

Groundwork Greater Manchester are extremely proud and delighted to receive an Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence. Our work with the Armed Forces Community, especially supporting veterans to gain new skills and employment, has become a cornerstone of the trust’s activity and this award is a reflection of the amazing outcomes and advocacy services our Veteran’s Employment Team deliver.

We are also fully committed as an organisation to supporting the Armed Forces veterans and reservists who are employed at Groundwork as we recognise the breadth of transferable skills, knowledge and experience they bring to the company as well as the service they have given to our country.

Following full external recruitment campaigns, the Prime Minister has approved the appointment of a new Government Chief People Officer and a new Government Chief Digital Officer.

Fiona Ryland will be the new Government Chief People Officer, joining the Civil Service from University College London where she has been Vice President Operations / Chief Operating Officer.

Mike Potter will be the new Government Chief Digital Officer, joining the Civil Service from Thames Water where he was most recently interim Executive Director, Digital Transformation & Group CIO.

Both will join in Autumn 2022 and will help accelerate the delivery of key reform ambitions across the Civil Service.

Cabinet Office Minister Heather Wheeler said:

After a full external search, it’s great to see the Civil Service attracting such high calibre leaders to help sharpen our focus on delivering for the British public.

Building a more skilled and efficient Civil Service is a key priority, supported by innovative use of the best technology available – and Fiona and Mike will be at the heart of that work.

Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office said:

I am looking forward to welcoming Fiona and Mike to their new roles, both of which are at the centre of our current Civil Service transformation.

As the new Government Chief People Officer, Fiona will be leading our HR function at a time of huge change, as we work in partnership with Ministers to equip our people to deliver Civil Service reform.  Setting the standard on people issues across the Civil Service is a tremendous opportunity to focus on skills and professionalisation.

As the new Government Chief Digital Officer, Mike will be harnessing the unprecedented opportunities for digital technologies and data across the Civil Service, strengthening UK Government delivery both immediately and in the years to come.

I look forward to working with them both as we continue to reshape the Civil Service to meet our future challenges head on.

Fiona Ryland, Government Chief People Officer, said:

It is a real privilege to join the Civil Service in this role. I am looking forward to supporting the tremendous work that our teams deliver for people across the UK.

Mike Potter, Government Chief Digital Officer said:

It’s an honour and a privilege to take on the role of Government CDO and I’m delighted to be returning to public service at such an important time.

I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across the civil service to continue to grow the digital skills we need for the future and deliver the roadmap for digital and data.

Following the success of the first special shown on ITV1 in October 2017, the extraordinary work of the MOD’s ‘War Detectives’, part of Defence Business Services (DBS), will be appearing on the small screen once again as part the current series of Long Lost Family. Long Lost Family: The Unknown Soldiers, will broadcast on ITV1 at 21.00 on Monday 18 July.

The second episode, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, follows what the War Detectives have described as a “once in a lifetime case”: nine soldiers of the Great War found buried on a roadside in Belgium. The hour long special will also feature soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and members of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Cellmark who were also involved.

Each year the remains of British service personnel killed in both World Wars are found by farmers, builders and archaeologists worldwide. Davina and Nicky follow the team, who are based in DBS Innsworth House in Imjin Barracks, Gloucester, as they use military and historical research to investigate these finds and work to trace surviving families so that a DNA comparison can be made that hopefully confirms an identity.

Nicky and Davina meet the families of the fallen heroes, helping them to form a picture of their relative and finally laying them to rest with a poignant full military burial at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium.

Davina spoke positively of the continued efforts of the JCCC Commemorations Team when she said:

“It’s such a privilege to witness the amazing work that the MOD War Detectives does. To be able to answer people’s lifelong questions about what happened to their missing soldiers is incredible and to lay these soldiers to rest in named graves, after more than a hundred years, is extremely moving.”

The programme follows the team’s journey through the frustrations and breakthroughs as they attempt to piece together the life of the soldiers, from the time they left British shores to their final steps on the battlefield.

Caseworker Nicola Nash from the MOD War Detectives, said:

“The work we do in identifying these brave men is extremely important not only to us, but to the British Armed Forces as a whole, which I think this episode portrays so beautifully.

“It has been an amazing experience filming with Long Lost Families. From meeting Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell for the first time to watching the final edit, it has been an experience I will never forget.”

Tracey Bowers, MOD War Detectives team lead, said:

“When ITV asked to work with us again, I was delighted and proud but also apprehensive knowing what additional work this entailed, not just for the team but colleagues across DBS and wider MOD who’s help and assistance we rely upon, such as the Commercial Team who helped write the filming contact.

“Having been through the process once things were slightly easier but adding Covid into the mix, not being able to travel and therefore film things in a chronological order, made for interesting times!”

Brigadier Caroline Hull, Head of DBS’s Armed Forces and Veterans Services, said:

“It is a privilege to support all UK Armed Forces Personnel, whether they are serving in uniform today or have previously given loyal service.

“It is also important for the families of those who died in both World Wars, and for the nation, to know that the Ministry of Defence continues to provide for support for individuals in the Military Community who might otherwise be forgotten. I am delighted that through close cooperation with all our partners, we can provide a dignified, military burial to those who died in World War 1 and 2, and wherever possible, with the family in attendance.

“I am grateful that this programme shines a bright light on one of the unique roles we as part of Defence Business Services deliver, and will continue to deliver, for years to come.”

Follow @wardetectives on Facebook for regular updates on cases, appeals for relatives and details of future services.

You have the power to protect, and the shared responsibility to prepare. Become a part of a community working together to protect the nation, preparing for resilience in the face of future obstacles.

ProtectUK provides vital information, official guidance and leading advice, helping you to detect vulnerabilities and connecting you with the best resources.

It is a space for individuals, communities, businesses, government and policing to come together, uniting on a shared mission to increase safety and security across the nation.

ProtectUK has been developed by the Counter Terrorism Alliance, a focussed collaboration of three leading organisations: NaCTSO, Homeland Security Group (Home Office) and Pool Reinsurance. As part of this venture ProtectUK links in with a range of other leading government and policing bodies to ensure the platform has the latest, up to date guidance that can help businesses and individuals protect their staff, customers and location.

There is a strong need to support businesses to prepare and protect their premises, offering them access to resources that help them ensure they have the security measures in place that take into account the ever evolving threat of terrorism.

Along with guidance from NaCTSO, CPNI and more, ProtectUK offers access to the award winning ACT Awareness e-learning, helping you to refresh your counter terrorism awareness.

To ensure we keep users up to date with the latest in the world of counter terrorism, ProtectUK hosts webinars, provides regular news updates and offers forums for discussions, helping you connect with other professionals to discuss and ask questions around the world of security.

The world renowned ACT App has also been rebranded as the ProtectUK App, offering key, actionable content on the go. The ProtectUK App is available on the Apple and Android app store.

We look forward to welcoming you to ProtectUK and look forward to you coming on this journey with us.

For all current and future NaCTSO guidance, please visit www.protectuk.police.uk. This NaCTSO page will no longer be updated with guidance.