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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 Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Mercury Training Services Limited will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:

• no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
• and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.

Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Mercury Training Services Limited recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:

• Armed Forces Friendly
• UK Service Veterans And Leavers
• UK Service Spouses And Partners
• Flexible Leave For Spouses
• UK Reservists
• UK Cadets
• Armed Forces Day
• Reserve Forces Day
• Discounts
• Armed Forces Charities

We also pledge the following:

• Appoint an Armed Forces Champion within Mercury Training Services Ltd. Our Managing Director, Paul Lawton-Jones MSyI, is a Royal Navy Submarine Service veteran and will act as the senior advocate for our Covenant commitments.

• Display the Armed Forces Covenant and Defence Employer Recognition Scheme logos across our website, tender submissions, learner handbooks and marketing materials.

• Leverage our position within the security sector and our Security Skills Board and SIA Governance Committee roles to promote the Armed Forces Community as a talent pool for the protective security profession.

• Engage with the Career Transition Partnership and sign up to Forces Families Jobs to advertise Mercury roles directly to the Armed Forces Community.

• Create and maintain a dedicated Armed Forces page on the Mercury Training Services website, setting out our Covenant pledges, our support offer and contact details for feedback.

• Deliver and promote annual Armed Forces awareness training, including e-learning, for all Mercury staff on the needs and experiences of the Armed Forces Community and on Mercury’s Covenant commitments.

• Signpost members of the Armed Forces Community to Cobseo, the Veterans’ Gateway, SSAFA, the Royal British Legion and other relevant statutory and charitable services.

• Promote local veterans’ support networks, such as coffee mornings and breakfast clubs, through Mercury’s Synthesia video content and our learner platform, where appropriate.

• Publicise our support for the Armed Forces Community through LinkedIn, internal communications, tender submissions and Mercury’s newsletter, inviting feedback from employees, learners, employer clients and the wider community.

• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with other Covenant signatories and local Armed Forces units, including regular Army units, Reservist units, RAF stations and naval bases, building on our existing delivery partnerships with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service and wider MoD estate.

• Advertise Mercury’s private training courses via the Defence Discount Service, offering a 10% discount to members of the Armed Forces Community, and promote commercial discounts through the Defence Discount Service and Blue Light Card platforms.

• Ensure fair and equitable access to our apprenticeship and training provision for the Armed Forces Community, recognising the impact of high mobility and overseas postings through flexible enrolment windows and remote delivery via Microsoft Teams where practicable.

• Give fair consideration to Service-friendly and veteran-owned businesses within our sup-ply chain, alongside Mercury’s existing social value and Real Living Wage commitments.

• Signpost employees, apprentices and learners who are part of the Armed Forces Com-munity to Op COURAGE and other veteran-aware NHS services.

• Promote mental health and wellbeing support tailored to veterans and Service families through internal communications and safeguarding channels.

• Grant reasonable paid time off to employees for medical appointments, including those relating to Service-attributable conditions.

• Promote awareness of housing entitlements and support services available to Service leavers, veterans and their families through our employee and learner communications.

• Offer flexibility and pastoral support, including reasonable adjustments to training schedules, for Mercury employees and apprentices affected by Service relocations or housing transitions.

• Promote Mercury’s apprenticeship and training provision, from Level 2 to Level 5 across the security and facilities management sectors, as a progression route for Service leavers, Reservists, veterans and military spouses and partners.

• Work with the Career Transition Partnership and Forces Families Jobs to provide visibility of the Level 4 Protective Security Adviser apprenticeship, as a structured second-career pathway for Service leavers.

• Offer tailored onboarding and initial assessment for veterans and Service leavers entering Mercury apprenticeships, including recognition of Service-acquired prior learning.

• Offer all veterans and service leaves on our security apprenticeships student membership of the Security Institute, International Professional Security Association and for facilities learners and apprentices Affiliate membership of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management.

• Support Service children as potential future apprentices and promote Mercury’s vacan-cies in areas with significant military populations.

• Engage with MoD resettlement services and Service careers advisors to raise awareness of the protective security and facilities profession as a post-Service career pathway.

• Encourage employees to participate in Remembrance Day and other ceremonial activi-ties, granting reasonable paid time off to attend.

• Use our position within the wider security profession to promote civic recognition of the Armed Forces Community’s contribution to Critical National Infrastructure protection.

• Work towards Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award status within 12 months of signing the Covenant and aspire to Silver and Gold accreditation in the years that follow.

• Review the effectiveness of our Covenant commitments annually through the Mercury Audit and Risk Committee, and publish a brief progress report for employees, learners, employer clients and the Armed Forces Community.

• Embed the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant into Mercury’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and our safer recruitment procedures.

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 Service community and our customers on how we are doing.