Why Converge has registered with the Armed Forces Covenant

Converge is proud to announce that we have formally registered with the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant not a charity, it is promise from the nation to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

In signing the Covenant, Converge commits to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, both regular and reservist, veterans and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country.

The challenges faced by service personnel

The founding principle is that those who are or have served in the armed forces do not face unfair disadvantage. Sadly, in many ways they do. Here are some examples:

• Paying higher costs – the Army may post one of its personnel, who rents out her home, overseas. Her mortgage provider charges a ‘Consent to let’ fee, thus leading to greater expense than those in the general population who aren’t required to rent out their home by their employer.
• Ineligibility issues – an ex-partner of an RAF pilot moves back to his hometown where he is ineligible for social housing due to the time he lived with his ex-partner elsewhere in the country while he was posted there. This unfair disadvantage could be removed if the local authority were to disapply their local connection requirement.

The Covenant’s focus is helping the Armed Forces community to have the same access to both government and commercial services as the general population. There is also much that employers can do to address disadvantages they face.

How Converge is committed to help

Registering with the Armed Forces Covenant is just the start. As part of an initiative to build relationships with Military Leavers and enhance our recruitment efforts, we have reached out to both the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) who are part of the MOD’s official resettlement programme, along with the Forces Employment Charity, to explore a yet untapped area with cross-transferable skills for a number of practical roles across the business.

"Unfortunately, I had an injury which led to a medical military discharge and found myself left to sort things out myself. When I applied for the position at Converge, I explained my medical condition and what it could lead to in the future. Practices were put in place between myself and my manager which, later down the line helped massively. This gave me security for myself and my family.”

Stuart Bailey
Operations Administrator

Converge has made a commitment in the following areas:

Employment - Converge is:

• Promoting the Armed Forces as a valuable source of talent across our business.
• Actively encouraging applications from service leavers, veterans, reservists, and military spouses.
• Working with organisations such as the Career Transition Partnership and the Forces Employment Charity to attract military talent into technology and support roles.
• Considering military experience and qualifications alongside civilian experience during recruitment and selection processes.
• Supporting service leavers transitioning into civilian employment through training, mentoring, and career development opportunities.

Supporting Reservists:

• Supporting employees who serve as Reservists by providing flexibility for training commitments and annual camp requirements where business needs allow (already referenced in our Authorised Absence policy).
• Recognising the valuable skills and experience Reservists bring back into the workplace.

Supporting Veterans:

• Fostering an inclusive workplace where veterans can successfully transition and build long-term careers.
• Promoting understanding of the Armed Forces community among managers and colleagues.
• Encouraging veterans to share their skills, experiences, and leadership capabilities across the organisation.

Supporting Military Families:

• Supporting military spouses and partners by considering flexible and hybrid working arrangements where operationally appropriate.
• Ensuring military family members can compete fairly for vacancies and career opportunities.

Community Engagement:

• Raising awareness internally of the Armed Forces Covenant and our commitment to the Armed Forces community.
• Exploring opportunities to participate in Armed Forces-focused recruitment events and employment initiatives.
• Building partnerships with organisations that support serving personnel, veterans, and military families.

Going forward we look forward to recruiting and actively supporting more ex-service personnel, reservists and their families to develop careers in IT flexibly address the unique challenges they face. Playing our role in supporting the aims of the Armed Services Covenant.