Published on in Defence & National Security • Responsible Business

“Without their support and level of commitment,

it would be very hard for me to fulfil this duty.”

Dave Rogers, Fujitsu employee and Army Reservist

For many years, Fujitsu has recognised the huge potential of military veterans, and how they can make a real difference to our Defence & National Security business. These highly trained, incredibly talented, and motivated individuals are keen to build upon the skills garnered throughout their Services career.

Not only is our working environment and customer familiar to Service leavers, but we also know that they are incredibly driven individuals with a real desire to develop their careers further. They have this unique can-do attitude. Whatever challenge you throw at them, they find a way to succeed, often going the extra mile in doing so.

But just as Service leavers have the potential to make a significant contribution to industry after their military career has finished, at Fujitsu we also recognise and value highly the vital role that Reservists can play, and the contribution these colleagues can continue to make to our Armed Forces.

As such, we actively promote the opportunity to become a Reservist. We both benefit significantly from the skills, training and experiences gained by the individual as these are then brought back into the workplace. But we also find that these enhanced skills and experiences can make a real difference to our Armed Forces.

Today, a huge number of Fujitsu employees are active Reservists with the UK Armed Forces. Individuals like Dave Rogers, who joined Fujitsu in 2014 following a 24-year Army career in the Royal Signals: “As a nationally recruited Army Reservist my minimum commitment is 19 days a year, of which Fujitsu gives me ten full days of paid leave. Without their support and level of commitment, it would be very hard for me to fulfil this duty.”

Dave Rogers

Fujitsu has a comprehensive policy in place which provides support for employees who are Volunteer Reserves and Regular Reserves, and their spouses/families over and above what is required by law.  As part of this policy, we are absolutely committed to creating a flexible environment, by enabling Reservists to attend Reserve Forces training events, and be mobilised for Reservist duties, as required.

A two-way partnership

Supporting individuals like Dave in this way, while enabling them to develop their skillset and further their careers, is very much a two-way partnership that we both benefit from significantly. The skills are highly transferable, and the experiences gained while on Reservists duty are obviously brought back into the workplace.

“My customer in Fujitsu is the MOD which makes it very easy for me to interchange between my green skin and my suit – especially when you have 24 years’ military experience. And being able to keep abreast of everything military-related and bring that back into my day job to share with my colleagues is invaluable,” explains Dave.

As well as 10 days paid leave, Fujitsu Reservists also receive access to funding to keep their relevant training and qualification requirements up-to-date. “Obviously, I benefit from keeping my training and qualifications current, but I’d like to think it really enables me to make a difference to the Armed Forces, in both my day job and in my role as a Reservist. I simply couldn’t do that without the support I receive from Fujitsu”, explains Dave.

Supporting Reservists in this way is just one area that we provide assistance for Service leavers. It also demonstrates the strength of Fujitsu’s

Don Draper 1

commitment to the UK Armed Forces.

Today, 15% of Fujitsu’s 3,500 security cleared staff who work in our Defence & National Security business originate from a Services background fulfilling a wide variety of roles. One of these is Donald Draper who joined Fujitsu’s Joint Cyber Unit in 2015: “Fujitsu has helped with my transition to civilian life and provided me with an opportunity to train and progress my career. The business has continued supporting me during my Reservists commitment, providing 10 days paid leave to attend periods which go into the working week.”

In recognition of our continued efforts in this area we’re exceptionally proud to be Gold Award winners in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme. Nationally, the Gold Award is the highest level given to employers who demonstrate advocacy for Armed Forces veterans, including those who are injured, wounded or sick, as well as Reservists, military spouses/partners and military charities.

Find out more

At Fujitsu, we are very proud of our long history working alongside and supporting the MOD. We continue to work closely together, building a mutually beneficial partnership that ensures close ties between the Armed Forces and commercial sector. Our continued involvement in such initiatives is a crucial part of our ongoing pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant, and our long-standing commitment to supporting Service leavers and Reservists.

If you’d like to find out more about Fujitsu’s ongoing commitment and our how we enable the transferring of skills and sharing of talent across the Defence & National Security sector, please visit our homepage.

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Bridget Ward

Bridget Ward is Head of People and Third-Party Engagement for Fujitsu’s Defence & National Security business unit. Bridget has worked for Fujitsu for 21 years in a wide and varied range of roles from leading Project Management Teams to Strategic Recruitment Campaigns. Bridget has in depth knowledge of recruitment and resourcing and has used this knowledge to drive internal best practices.

Having spent the last 8 years in the Defence & National Security area, she has developed a focus on enhancing the recruitment footprint with military service leavers, and sourced and hired hundreds of people into the organisation. Bridget is a key contact for our engagement with recruitment partners and has worked with external organisations to keep ahead of the changes in attraction and development of talent. Her passion is to make Fujitsu an employer of choice for service leavers, and this remains a key part of Fujitsu’s drive and focus for 2020.

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