Academic link-up to help forces veterans

Two Scottish universities have joined together to help armed forces veterans find new careers and adapt to civilian life.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and Veterans Scotland will jointly host an event tomorrow in Glasgow to exhibit how universities and colleges can support ex-military personnel and their families.

In Scotland, there are around 237,000 veterans of different ages, social backgrounds and length of service.

The two universities are both signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant, a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the military and their families are treated fairly.

The event forms part of the GCU-HM Forces Learning Partnership, designed specifically for military personnel looking to advance their career or make a change of direction.

Jim Castle, GCU’s Veterans and Armed Forces champion, said that many of the skills learned by veterans during their time in service can be transferred across different industries.

Mr Castle said: “In a nutshell, they have a huge range of transferable skills, which combined with education, will maximise their potential and make them highly employable and major assets to society and the economy.”