Education, Employment & Skills

Education, Employment & Skills

Sharing the resources you may need

North East Lincolnshire does not have a forces base within its local authority geographical area. Therefore, there are not any bespoke over-subscription criteria priorities for armed forces families in the local authority’s and / or individual academy’s published school admission arrangements.

However, the local authority’s School Admissions Service offers impartial advice, support, guidance and access to a personalised service, if required, to all families including service families relocating, arriving and or returning to the local area. This includes all aspects of the school admissions and appeals processes, including information on school places and locations, types of school/academy, access to an ‘online’ application form, liaising with own admission authority schools or academies and supporting parents and carers if required at appointments. The service also offers impartial advice and guidance on formulating a school admission appeal case, if necessary, and ensures all children and young people arriving in the area gain access to a school or academy place in a timely manner.

Special Educational Needs

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) states that parents serving in HM Armed Forces with children with SEND can access the Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) – an information, advice and support service established specifically for service parents. It covers any issue relating to their children’s education, including SEN. More information about CEAS may be found on the CEAS website.

In North East Lincolnshire, all parents/carers of children and young people with SEND can access:

 

  • Information on the local authority’s published Local Offer. The Local Offer assists parent/carers and children/young people aged 0 to 25 years find information about specialist and targeted services or activities in North East Lincolnshire
  • Local impartial SEND information or advice is also available from the local authority’s Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review Team (SENART): Email the SEND team. Telephone: 01472 323166
  • Support from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice, and Support Service (SENDIASS) which is a commissioned service run by Barnardos. Address: 11 Dudley Street, Grimsby, DN31 2A, Email the SENDIASS team, Telephone: 01472 355 365
  • Support and information from North East Lincolnshire Parent Participation Forum (NELPPF) at E-mail the NELPPF, Telephone: 07583 474 892. NELPPF is a collective voice for parents and carers in North East Lincolnshire, offering guidance and support from 0-25 years.
Education resources from other organisations
The Armed Forces Education Trust

The Armed Forces Education Trust is a charity working for children and young adults whose education has been compromised or put at risk as a result of parents’ past or current service in our Armed Forces. The grants they give make a difference to young lives, helping improve educational opportunities or supporting special skills or talents.

For queries not relating to new grant applications, email the Armed Forces Education Trust or write to: Armed Forces Education Trust, PO Box 684, Farnham, GU9 1LP.
Telephone: 020 8590 1124

 

Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS)

Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) supports operational effectiveness through the provision of educational support to service and eligible MOD civilian families.

Email the CEAS team. Emails are checked every working day and allocated to case workers to provide the required action.

CEAS helpline: 01980 618244 or 94344 8244

Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC)

The MOD’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC) promotes lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. The scheme provides financial support in the form of a single up-front payment in each of a maximum of three separate financial years.

Telephone: 0845 3005179

Email the ELC team.

For more information, visit the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme website.

The Open University has a Disabled Veterans Scholarship Programme.

The Open University has a Disabled Veterans Scholarship Programme.

The Scholarships will enable 50 more disabled veterans to build on their unique military skills and experiences with a recognised qualification by providing veterans with the opportunity to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level for free. The OU has awarded 160 such scholarships so far, helping individuals from a variety of service backgrounds and who have a range of physical disabilities and complex mental health conditions. The Scholarships are tailored to fully support all disabled veterans, injured in or due to service, as they transition to civilian life providing a free OU education and wraparound disability and careers service support.

Visit the website

SCiP – Service Children’s Progression Alliance

Thriving lives for service children. We bring people together to improve educational outcomes for children from military families so that they can make informed and confident transitions through further and higher education into thriving adult lives and careers. The SCiP Alliance is a partnership of organisations focused on improving outcomes for children from military families. It is funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

For more information, use the contact form on the SCIP Alliance website.

Address: SCiP Alliance, c/o The University of Winchester, Sparkford Rd, Winchester SO22 4NR

Email the SCIP Alliance

SEN and DIASS

Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service.

SEN and DIASS provides free impartial, confidential and accurate information, advice and support about education, health and social care for children, young people and their parents on matters relating to special educational needs and disability.

Telephone: 01482 467540

Email the Yorkshire Service.

Employment and Skills resources
CTP Right Job

CTP Right Job is the Career Transition Partnership’s online job finding service that lists thousands of live vacancies for Service leavers and new ones are added every day. They work with hundreds of employers who recognise the talent pool leaving the Armed Forces and the experience and strong working ethos Service leavers bring with them after a military career.

For more information, visit the CTP website.

Forces Families Jobs

Forces Families Jobs is the go-to place for training and employment for family members of currently serving UK military personnel. You are able to apply for jobs and access employment and training opportunities with companies and organisations who are forces family friendly. You can use their website with confidence in knowing that employers have signed the Armed Forces Covenant or are able to demonstrate their commitment to the Armed Forces. This is your gateway to accessing information about acquiring new skills, upgrading your existing skills or applying directly to employers who are understanding of the unique challenges that come with being a family member of a serving person.

Email Forces Families Jobs

For more information, visit the Forces Families Jobs website.

Forces.net

Forces.net is part of the Forces Network, the UK’s only media organisation dedicated to Britain’s armed forces and veterans, which also includes BFBS TV and BFBS Radio. The site is run by Ex-Forces Information Services in conjunction with Forces Network. Many employers recognise that those who have served in the military have desirable and transferrable skills and have indicated their commitment to hiring ex-military personnel by signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant. They offer employers a direct route to employees, providing employment opportunities for ex-military and their families.

For more information, visit the Forces.net website

Email the Forces.net team.

Telephone: 0844 567 57 57

Address: Ex-Forces Information Services, Boston House, Grove Business Park, Downsview Road, Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 9FF

Regular Forces Employment Association

Provide life-long, life changing support, jobs and training opportunities to service leavers and veterans, irrespective of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving. Supporting veterans through life including those who have served for a short time and are in the 18-24-year-old age range, through to older veterans.

Work with those who are unemployed, who face higher barriers to employment and have a longer journey back to work. They link with welfare, healthcare and housing charities as well as working with veterans in the criminal justice sector.

For more information, visit the RFEA website.

Lifeworks Families

A fully funded support service to help military spouses and partners get the job they want. The service is available to all spouses and partners of any serving (or recently discharged) member of the British Armed Forces, including Reserves. The course is fully funded by Armed Forces charities.

Telephone: 0800 319 6844

Email the Lifeworks team.

For more information, visit the Lifeworks Families website.

The Step Into Health Programme

Created because the NHS recognises the transferable skills and cultural values that Armed Forces personnel develop when serving, and how they are compatible with those required within NHS roles. Step into Health is open to all Service Leavers and Veterans and their spouse/partner. Programme Partners include: The Royal Foundation – Walking With The Wounded – Leeds Teaching Hospital.

NHS Health Careers website

Telephone: 0345 60 60 655

For more information visit the Step into Health website.

Recruit for Spouses

An award winning social enterprise which has helped hundreds of military spouses find employment.

For more information, visit the Recruit for Spouses website.

The Poppy Factory

The country’s leading employment charity for veterans with health conditions or impairments. The Poppy Factory provides bespoke opportunities and ongoing employment support for hundreds of disabled veterans around the country, helping to restore their financial independence through sustainable and rewarding work.

For more information, visit the Poppy Factory website.

Starting a small business
Setting up and running a small business requires courage, determination and a strong work ethic. These are attributes which service leavers have in spades, and why self-employment is a route well worth considering by those coming towards the end of their time in the Armed Forces. There should be more of a focus on the key skills needed to succeed in enterprise. Below are organisations that can help you on this journey.

X Forces Enterprise

X Forces Enterprise offers a range of products and services to help service leavers turn their dreams of staring a developing a successful business into a reality.

Telephone: 0800 368 9533

Email the X Forces Enterprise team

For more information, visit the X Forces Enterprise website.

Federation of Small Businesses

FSB are experts in business, they offer their members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice heard in government. Their mission is to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions. They are also signatures to the Armed Forces Covenant and have a programme for helping service leavers’ start and run their own small business.

Telephone: 0808 20 20 888

Email the FSB team

For more information, visit the FSB website.

Address: Federation of Small Businesses, Sir Frank Whittle Way, Blackpool FY4 2FE.

The Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce is a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant. They also offer support and advice to service leavers about starting their own business.

For more information, visit the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce website.

Telephone: 01482 324976 (Option 1) or 01482 291219

Travel & Transport

The Veterans Railcard

Service personnel often live and work all over the UK, moving regularly from posting to posting, so when they leave the armed forces, they may well find themselves hundreds of miles from family and friends. The Veterans Railcard will save veterans 1/3 off most rail fares, with additional discounts for children, to help reconnect them to loved ones and connect them to new training and work opportunities.

For more information, visit www.veterans-railcard.co.uk.

Information for Employers

Employer Recognition Scheme

The Employer Recognition Scheme acknowledges employers who have provided exceptional support to the armed forces community and defence by going above and beyond their covenant pledges.

Through a three-tier approach of bronze, silver and gold awards, the scheme recognises the different levels of commitment provided by employers. This allows the Ministry of Defence to publicly thank and honour those organisations for their support.

You can nominate yourself for a bronze award. Silver and gold awards are bestowed to organisations meeting specific criteria.

Bronze award holders:

  • are  self-nominated by employers  who pledge to support the armed forces, including existing or prospective employees who are members of the community
  • must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
  • promote being armed forces-friendly and  are open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners
  • receive an electronic certificate and logos to display on their website, stationery and other collateral.

Silver award holders:

  • must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
  • the  employer must have already stated their intent to be supportive by using the ERS website to register at the Bronze level
  • the  employer must proactively demonstrate that service personnel/ armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes
  • employers must employ at least one individual from the armed forces community category that the nomination emphasises. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must employ at least one Reservist
  • the  employer must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive HR policy on Reserves
  • within the context of Reserves the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place. They must demonstrate support to training by providing at least 5 days’ additional unpaid/paid leave (wherever possible not to Reservist employees’ financial disadvantage)
  • the employer must not have been the subject of any negative PR or media activity.

Gold award holders:

  • must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.
  • employers must have an existing relationship with their National Account Manager / REED / appropriate defence representative
  • the employer must have already stated their intent to be supportive by using the ERS website to register at the Bronze level
  • the  employer must proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting and selection processes. Where possible, they should be engaged with career Transition partnership (CTP) in the recruitment of service leavers and have registered for the Forces families Jobs (FFJ) portal
  • employers must employ at least one individual from the armed forces community category that the nomination emphasises. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must employ at least one Reservist
  • the employer must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive HR policy on Reserves
  • the  employer must be an exemplar within their market sector, advocating support to Defence People issues to partner organisations, suppliers and customers with tangible positive results
  • within the context of Reserves the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place. They must provide at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
  • the employer must not have been the subject of any negative PR or media activity.
Employing Veterans

April 2021: Government has announced that a National Insurance contributions holiday is now available for organisations that employ armed forces veterans. The policy allows employers to claim National Insurance contributions relief for veterans they have hired during their first year of civilian employment after leaving the armed forces. The move is part of the government’s commitment to help further incentivise employers to take advantage of the wide range of skills and experience that ex-military personnel offer. Employers – including councils – will be able to claim National Insurance contributions relief on the earnings of qualifying veterans and guidance on how employers can claim back national insurance is available.

The Knoll
Knoll Street
Cleethorpes
North East Lincolnshire
DN35 8LL
UK Registration Number: 10849279