Armed Forces Covenant

The Covenant Legal Duty is a legal obligation on certain public bodies (including local authorities, governing bodies of certain state schools, various NHS bodies, and other organisations) to have due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant when carrying out certain functions in healthcare, education and housing.

Councillor Linda Bigham, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Armed Forces Champion for Coventry City Council.

"The Armed Forces Covenant is a visible symbol of our intent to ensure that those who defend all of us are not disadvantaged by their service: and that the talents and dedication of veterans and Reservists are given further arenas in which to shine and benefit from their undoubted talents, skills and experiences".

What is the Coventry Offer for Armed Forces employees?

• Guaranteed interview to armed forces applicants if they meet minimum criteria at application stage.
• 10 days paid leave for Reservists.
• 5 days additional unpaid leave for Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV)
• Flexible working arrangements
• Coventry City Council is establishing an Armed Forces Employee Network. The Network is open to Veterans, Reservists, Cadet Force Volunteers and those with a family member who once Served or is still Serving, as well as to those who have an interest in championing awareness of equality for our Armed Forces community. We aim to offer support and guidance for staff whilst raising awareness of key issues and to play a role in influencing policy that may affect this community.
• Dedicated internal and external information page for Veterans, Reservists, CFAV, spouses / partners.
• Coventry City Council has an Online Learning Platform hosting three Armed Forces modules, which are available for all council employees to complete.
• Managerial support to new starters in a safe, supportive and structured way through an induction process and policy
• An internal Officers Group, which brings together colleagues, from a range of different service areas to champion and share good practice, discuss and raise awareness of Armed Forces issues.
• Coventry City Council is a registered user of the Careers Transition Partnership jobs board and Forces Families jobs board promoting job opportunities.

How does Coventry City Council celebrate and champion our Armed Forces community?

• Each year, the Lord Mayor of Coventry asks all the cadet services in Coventry Cadets to nominate a young person to be a Lord Mayor Cadet. The Lord Mayor's Cadets are representative of all the tri-services and are included in the Ceremonial Planning Group where they can influence and shape the local delivery of Armed Forces Week, Remembrance Sunday etc.
• CCC hosts and celebrates a number of Armed Forces events throughout the year. View our latest photo galleries: Armed Forces Week, Remembrance Sunday
• The Armed Forces Champion attends the Armed Forces Cadets AGM
• When invited, the Armed Forces Champion will visit the local cadet units.
• The Coventry Job Shop hosts Armed Forces Recruitment events with the Army Careers Service.
• Coventry supports veterans in the community and hosts two Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Clubs.
• Signposting information and support for defence people employees to access.
• The Veterans Contact Point in Nuneaton offers advice and support to veterans and their families who live in Coventry
• Regular information and updates relating to local and national Armed Forces are posted on the intranet page.
• CCC has compiled an Armed Forces Survey, which is being distributed across the council to all employees. The survey will be used to identify the numbers of employees who are a Veteran, Reservist, CFAV, Spouse/Partner. Moving forward, this data will automatically be captured through the application and recruitment process.
• CCC promotes and celebrates the various Armed Forces events and training events across a range of social media platforms.
• The Coventry Job Shop is committed to raising the profile of the Employer Recognition Scheme and will promote the scheme to the organisations and businesses in Coventry that it works directly with. The Job Shop can also offer support for local residents who are looking for work and can provide a range of services for individuals.

Job opportunities with Coventry City Council

You can find all job opportunities on our careers page where you will be able to seek additional support and advice for job seekers, information about our rewards and benefits, future talent and our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Alternatively, if you can’t find the answer you are looking for, you can either complete our online contact form or contact resourcing@coventry.gov.uk.

If you want to be updated weekly about new job opportunities, sign up to our free job alerts for all Coventry City Council jobs and free job alerts for our School jobs.