Schneider Electric will double the number of ex-military personnel it recruits in a bid to address a shortage of skills in the transition to green energy.
Its Veteran Talent Programme is 12 to 18 months long and offers ex-military candidates a mix of classroom-based and on-the-job training that will prepare them for operational and management roles.
The programme requires no previous technical experience and candidates are selected based on motivations and interests rather than specific skills.
Ex-military personnel
In the first year of the programme in 2024, all participants exceeded performance targets, it said. This year, Schneider Electric will more than double its intake from six to 13 recruits.
The veterans receive engineering and business training at the company’s dedicated academy in Coventry and then move into on-the-job training at different sites across the country.
Ex-military tank driver Damion Baines completed last year’s course having left the British Army in June 2024 after 26 years.
“Keeping calm under pressure, the ability to problem solve, and empathise with others have all proved crucial in my role, where I ensure critical buildings remain operational,” he said. “The skills I use in my role at Schneider Electric were honed from day one in my military career.”
Baines liked the fact the company’s energy transition work tapped into a “strong sense of social purpose that veterans share”. He is now working as a digital power systems operations manager.
The company offers a Military Ambassadors employee resource group, which is open to any staff member in the UK and Ireland.
Kelly Becker, Schneider Electric president for UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, added: “At Schneider Electric, we are passionate about growing a diverse workforce, and veterans are no exception.
“Our programme not only helps us to build talent to support the green transition, but veterans also bring a wealth of skills and unmatched benefits to our company, fuelling more diverse and innovative thinking.”
The business is using an AI-driven career transition platform called Redeployable to match candidates with potential roles. This provides veterans with personalised career plans while building insights for the company into how veteran talent could support its goals.
Applications for the programme are now open, with the scheme starting in September.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
A report from global change consultancy Bain & Company last year found that one in eight UK workers will need reskilling by 2030 to aid the UK’s transition to a net-zero economy.
