Apex’s Chief Executive Urges UK Businesses to Hire a Hero!

A group of (Manchester) business people are launching a campaign to persuade UK employers to give ex-military a job. The campaign, called Hire a Hero, is the brainchild of Karen Chadwick, Chief Executive of Apex Health and Social Care.

Chadwick was inspired to launch the campaign by the case of Yusupha ‘Baresi’ Secka who found himself out of work after seven years’ active service in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In 2008, when Baresi left his regiment, 5 Rifles, he applied for hundreds of jobs but couldn’t find any work. Disillusioned he decided to re-enlist, but when Chadwick heard his story she offered him a job as a care worker. Now Karen is urging other UK businesses to follow her lead and Hire a Hero.

“Here are all these brave, disciplined young men and women risking their lives for our country, but when they leave the armed forces no one seems to want them. This is wrong.

 
“In my experience ex-forces personnel make fantastic employees. They are reliable, work well in teams, are very adaptable and easy to re-train. People like Baresi are just what my company needs and we want to hire more ex-soldiers like him. The government should be doing more to help, but they don’t seem to care so now I’m calling the business community to do its bit.”

Ex-Falklands veteran, Andy Gratton, now runs a successful security firm and he agrees:

“It saddens me to see so many ex-military out of work and ignored by employers. This is a national disgrace. When I left the navy in 1992 you were given little support and had to find your own way. The transition to civilian life was extremely difficult. It seemed like wherever I turned no one wanted to give me a job. Eventually I joined the Fire Service and now I run my own security company, but it was hard.

“25 years on it doesn’t look like much has changed. The current army resettlement scheme isn’t working and it’s as though more and more ex-military are re-enlisting, signing on or worse, turning to crime. If the Government won’t help then maybe the business community will, and that’s why I’m supporting the Hire a Hero campaign.”

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Posted by Administrator on 10/03 at 04:26 PM in Permalink