ONE of the North East’s leading providers of business support and workspace has received a prestigious award for its role in supporting veterans.
The North East BIC has been awarded Gold in the Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).
The ERS scheme encourages employers to support the armed forces community and inspire other organisations to do the same.
It encompasses Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
A total of 193 organisations have achieved Gold, with the BIC among the 11 to have been awarded the coveted accreditation for 2024.
Paul McEldon OBE, chief executive of the North East BIC, said: “We are overjoyed to have been awarded Gold in the UK’s Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
“It is a great honour for the team, who over recent years have really gone above and beyond to help the region’s veterans understand how the skills and experiences they gained while serving could also be channelled into helping them become the business leaders of tomorrow.
“We are incredibly proud as an organisation to support the Armed Forces, so to receive such an award is a real honour.”
The award follows the launch of two projects by the BIC last year aimed at specifically supporting the veteran community.
Veterans RV, designed by veterans, for veterans, saw the BIC provide free, expert business advice and support to those seeking to set up a business.
The fully subscribed programme saw 17 veterans sign up to the workshop programme and receive one-to-one business support and mentoring, as well as signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
A series of networking events aimed at helping veterans and their families better navigate the world of business has also been launched this year.
Paul added: “Since the BIC was formed in 1994, we’ve helped thousands of people from some of the North East’s hardest to reach communities set up their own businesses.
“Central to this has been a commitment to support veterans, be it through specific projects tailored to their needs or ensuring our projects are inclusive to people from all backgrounds, and our most recent work is testament to that.
“Through Veterans RV and our dedicated networking events, we’ve helped dozens of veterans and their family members utilise their skills and experience to set up their own businesses to great success.
“Looking forward, our job is to continue building on that as we extend Veterans RV and explore how we can better support the region’s veteran community going forward.”
