The National Transition Event (NTE) at Silverstone once again delivered a podium of collaboration, innovation and growth as businesses, government and the armed forces community came together as one community movement on Monday 4th March, showcasing veterans as a national strategic asset. Sports recovery service charity Mission Motorsport under the ‘Mission Community’ initiatives delivered life-changing outcomes for Veterans and their families for the 5th year in a row. With a draw of a hundred sports and supercars in the pitlane, Silverstone Wing conference centre hosted Veterans from 200 exhibiting organisations
With around 15k leaving the armed forces each year, events such as this are critical in connecting businesses from innovative sectors such as automotive, renewable, manufacturing, to over 1200 attendees who had registered. The overwhelming feedback from exhibitors was around the quality of the talent they met on the day. The difference with this event, is that companies were asked to bring their Veterans to help run their stands, and the call was answered with over 300 of them helping tell their story to those who may be about to embark on their own journey of leaving the Armed Forces.
As well as the business representation on the day, NTE saw high-level interest from Dame Andrea Leadsom MP, who as well as being the local MP for South Northants, visited the Family Zone, a first for this event, in her role as Public Health and Start for Life Minister. She spent the morning with several military charities.
The event not only gives charities and businesses a voice, but also attracts the support of career game changing tools such as CV & interview advice, provided by experts from Severn Trent, and free Premium Licenses from LinkedIn, who also ran a series of workshops and brought along a photographer to help attendees develop their online profile.
Keynote speaker for the day was Veterans’ Minister Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP, who had a simple message for those from industry inside and outside the room:
‘Employing a Veteran is the best business decision you’ll make.’
And we happen to agree, encapsulated by the volume of support received from business at NTE, including our headline sponsors AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) and many more.
Mission Motorsport CEO/NTE Founder James Cameron added:
‘We have filled the hall with Veterans and companies represented by Veterans. And as much as anything else, this event informs those still in service that good things await them afterwards, but also that there are reasons for them to stay in uniform, and not to panic, knowing that there are amazing opportunities that await them afterwards and they need not cut their service prematurely short.’
Plans are already underway for NTE25, set to return to Silverstone, with ambitions to take on even more conference space in the Wing, as interest from the community grows. Not forgetting of course, the Troops’ Track Day, that continues to be at the core of what the event is all about. The mission continues.
The Society was thrilled to be at this important event, and with over 100 visitors to our stand, we were certainly kept busy. We hope to be back next year!
About Mission Motorsport:
The Forces’ Motorsport Charity, whose motto is ‘Race Retrain Recover’ is MoD’s competent authority for motorsport as a recovery activity and is a Royal Foundation (the charitable trust of the Prince and Princess of Wales) and Endeavour Fund supported initiative.
The charity’s dedicated career managers have placed more than 200 Wounded, Injured and Sick Service Leavers into employment since the inaugural Invictus Games in September 2014. Over 2000 Veterans have found work through the charity’s program.
A Service Charity and a member of the Confederation of Service Charities, Mission Motorsport has an award-winning collaborative model of working with government and the other service charities. It is funded by the Government’s Positive Pathways program, The Soldiers’ Charity (the Army Benevolent Fund), the Forces’ Trust and the Greenwich Hospital as well as by industry partners and independent fundraising.
As part of the MoD’s Career Transition Partnership, the charity helps those leaving the military to find employment in the Automotive industry. An Institute of the Motor Industry and LANTRA training provider, Mission Motorsport’s Training Wing delivers a range of qualifications up to and including Level 3 Diploma courses and full apprenticeships enabling service leavers to bridge the gap between military service and second careers as civilians, beyond injury.
About NTE: Over 1200 attendees registered; VVIPs on the day included Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom MP & Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP; US Dept of Defense and Veterans Administration also visited to see the UK example; 196 organisations exhibited; 300+ Veterans represented exhibiting organisations. https://www.nationaltransitionevent.com/
