Agincourt is pleased to announce we have signed the Armed Force’s Covenant, Bronze Award, as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Airforce across the scope of our work. In particular, we are exploring ways of supporting veterans both in the workplace and outside as a key aspect of the Agincourt Ethos.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An Enduring Covenant Between
The People of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty’s Government
– and –
All those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown
And their Families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of The Armed Forces Covenant

• We, Agincourt Consultancy Ltd, will endeavour to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant:

• Members of the Armed Forces Community should not face disadvantages arising from their service in the provision of public and commercial services.
• In some circumstances special provision may be justified, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved.

Section 2: Demonstrating our Commitment

2.1 We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, reservists, veterans, the cadet movement and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:

• Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces friendly organisation to our staff, customers, contractors and wider public. We will promote Armed Forces and veterans charities internally and externally and as part of our corporate fundraising
• Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: supporting the employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process; working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of Service leavers. We are working with the regional defence cluster and LEP to support better use of training to support transition veterans.
• Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting additional paid/unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and deployment; actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists. We are actively encouraging team members to consider the reserves as a way of contributing to their ongoing professional development.
• Cadet Organisations: supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, granting additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses; actively encouraging members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations; supporting local military cadet units; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce. We have offered to support the local CCF in making use of our simulation equipment to assist their weapons training.
• Communications, engagement and outreach: use of logos on website and literature, supporting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal, and Remembrance activities; supporting Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist. We have provided voluntary support to the marshalling of the Remembrance Day Parade.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Armed Forces Community and our customers on how we are doing.