November is a time when, for many, thoughts focus on Remembrance Day, commemorating the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian service men and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. This focus also brings to mind those currently serving in the Armed Forces with their dedication to this country and the sacrifices they continue to make. Catch22 is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, recognising the value serving personnel, both regular, reservists, veterans and military families, contribute to our business and country. Furthermore, the contribution made by the spouses and partners of serving armed forces personnel should not be undervalued, with many following their partners to live on, or near, military locations that are far from major population centres, making unemployment, or underemployment, a hidden issue.
A 2018 report by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research for the Army Families found that there is a significant need for employment support amongst partners and spouses of armed forces personnel. It also shows that many non-partners and spouses of Armed Forces personnel are ‘underemployed’, finding that ‘most spouses and partners wanted to work and their motivations to work were similar to civilian spouses and partners (e.g. to contribute to the family income; to do something for themselves; to avoid isolation, etc.).’ However, spouses and partners of serving Armed Forces personnel are hampered in their ambition to work by various barriers, in particular, location (as many live on, or near, military bases away from large population centres where work can be found) and childcare.
We know that individuals in good, well-paid work have more control over their lives, a sense of purpose and are able they to build better futures for themselves and their families. Work creates purpose for each individual and has a ripple effect on their health, wellbeing, families and communities and resultingly, unemployment or unsustainable work can result in stress and poor mental health for individuals. Together with the ongoing cost of living crisis, Catch22 are aware that many people are being driven to take ‘any’ job rather than a job that may be more suited to their ambitions and skillset. This creates underemployment, where work is either low paid, unstable or without opportunities to progress. This is the hidden face of the employment crisis.
Catch22 has been delivering employability programmes to give people a better chance of employment since the charity’s inception in 1788. We currently deliver a wide breadth of specialised employability programmes, such as supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into careers in the energy industry, supporting care experienced young people into employment across Manchester and Liverpool, and providing women and non-binary people knowledge and skills to start a career in the tech sector.
What is Joining Forces?
As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, Catch22 are now delivering the Joining Forces programme thanks to a grant award by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust earlier this year. This digital skills employment programme is specifically for spouses and partners of service Armed Forces Personnel resident in England and Wales.
We provide more than just traditional employability support with our programmes addressing the wider needs of participants and supporting them into sustainable job opportunities. For example, portable jobs or self-employed jobs are popular amongst spouses of armed forces personnel owing to the nature of their partners relocating semi-regularly and many digital jobs can be undertaken solely or predominately at home. The decision to focus on digital skills was made as a result of this, giving beneficiaries skills that would best suit this work. Our Digital skills offer can lead to good entry-level roles which have significant on the job training, hence why we have chosen this as a focus of this project.
Support available on our programme includes:
- six months of one-to-one support from a professional Career Coach,
- pre-employability skills training,
- support to help build confidence in writing CVs, interview techniques and finding jobs – both on a one-to-one basis and in a group,
- support to find virtual work experience,
- support to find relevant technical training,
- an additional six months of in-work support upon securing a role, and
- access to a discretionary fund to support you with the cost of travel for interviews or equipment you may need.
We are now accepting referrals from any individuals aged 18+ in England and Wales who are unemployed or underemployed, and who identify as a spouse or partner of serving Armed Forces personnel or reservist. Our Service Manager for the programme can be contacted at joiningforces@catch-22.org.uk.
Written by Rob Langham, Grants Officer, Partnerships.