ChamberFORCE
HRFCA established the ChamberFORCE partnership programme in 2018, bringing together selected Scottish Chambers of Commerce and local Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force units, to generate tangible business benefits to both Chamber members and Defence.
The project currently consists of five Chambers of Commerce in the Highland area who form the Executive Group: Dundee & Angus, Fife, Moray, Forth Valley and Inverness. Aberdeen and Dunbartonshire Chambers are also supportive and engage through other platforms.
In 2022 the project entered a three-year sponsorship with Amazon UK, who are Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award holders and key employers in Central Scotland. This sponsorship enables the project to deliver a range of engagement events and activities bringing together business and military communities.
What’s in it for Business?
A few of the many benefits are:
- Access to highly-skilled Service Leavers, Reservists and Veterans to strengthen your workforce either as employees, or on temporary work placements.
- FREE leadership and teamwork training for your staff via a range of military-led activities and challenges. From half day workshops at your place of work, to a full weekend on a training exercise, these activities will develop your staff’s confidence, decision-making and resilience.
- Exclusive invitations to key networking events across the UK, including Land and Air Power Combat Demonstrations, Royal Navy ship visits and sea passages, Military Ceremonial Events and tri-Service employer visits.
- Opportunities to hear from senior military personnel and learn how Defence management and leadership strategies can be applied to your business and workforce.
- FREE media and communications support to raise the profile of your business as an Armed Forces-friendly employer across national business networks.
Did you know?
- That the Ministry of Defence delivers training worth over £8,000 to every Reservist, every year? This makes Reservists on your workforce multi-skilled and highly adaptable, at no cost to your Business.
- That small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) can claim up to £500 a month if their Reservist is mobilised, along with up to £2,000 worth of training costs and additional salary costs if needed.
- That employers have found having a Reservist on the workforce acts as a positive role model to younger members of staff, impacting positively on colleagues and productivity.
Military Buddies
Each ChamberFORCE Chamber is partnered directly with a selected military “buddy”. This creates a clear line of communication and the chance to develop positive and useful relationships. The current buddy partnerships are:
- Dundee & Angus Chamber with 45 Commando Royal Marines in Arbroath.
- Fife Chamber with 154 (Scottish) Regiment Royal Logistic Corps in Dunfermline.
- Forth Valley Chamber with HMS Scotia in Rosyth.
- Inverness Chamber with 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland in Elgin.
- Moray Chamber with RAF Lossiemouth.