Employers who have already signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant can apply to receive one of three tiers of awards under the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme. They are Bronze, Silver and Gold and are a public thank you from the military for the support given by the winning employers.
Step 1 – Sign the Armed Forces Covenant
Sign the Armed Forces Covenant NOWStep 2 – Decide which tier you are qualified to apply for
Bronze award
Employers who have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant can nominate themselves for a Bronze Award. This involves pledging their intention to support Defence and to take a positive stance towards reserves, cadet force adult volunteers and veterans who are either existing or prospective employees.
Bronze Award holders seek to promote an Armed Forces friendly position, and are open to employing reservists and supporting their training and mobilisation commitments.
Or
Silver Award
If you already have a Bronze Award you may be ready to apply for a Silver Award. Silver Award holders demonstrate support for Defence, employing at least one reserve, actively communicating and upholding a positive stance to their employees via established human resources policies and procedures.
Silver Award holders support Reservists by showing flexibility to plan for and allow them to fulfil their annual training and mobilisation commitments.
Or
Gold Award
Gold Awards are the highest accolade our supportive employers can achieve and applications are restricted to organisations that are already Silver Award holders. Gold Award-level employers proactively advocate and support Defence, communicating their commitment both internally to employees and externally to the wider community, through established policies and examples of support.
Gold Award holders demonstrate significant support for reserves, enabling them to fulfil their annual training and mobilisation commitments.
Hear from our 2023 Gold ERS employers about what it means to achieve Gold.
Help and support
Remember, the RFCA for Yorkshire and the Humber is available to offer you help and guidance on your journey towards becoming one of our ‘Supportive Employers’. Contact us at 07738 422586 or [email protected]