Armed Forces Day, taking place this Saturday, is an annual event recognising and celebrating the service of men and women in the British Armed Forces.
Maximus has long supported Armed Forces veterans through our range of disability services and employability programmes, including the Restart Scheme, Work and Health Programme (WHP) and Fair Start Scotland (FSS), helping those leaving the armed forces to move forward in their transition to civilian life. Since 2020, we have been a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, and have recently become a member of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
To mark the day, we are sharing Peter’s story.
After leaving the Royal Air Force, which included serving in the Falklands, Peter, from Gorseinon in South West Wales, had always worked. With a varied work history and experience in several different sectors, including the prison service, he was keen to obtain support to retrain so he could access a security role.
Peter was struggling with depression and anxiety and had been unemployed for six months. Following his initial meeting with his Maximus Employment Advisor Maria, she quickly identified that Peter would benefit from specialist support.
In the first instance, Maria referred Peter to Community Partnership Network (CPN) member, Pure Insights, for a six-week counselling and wellbeing programme.
Through his initial counselling sessions, it was quickly established that Peter was suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Peter was encouraged to make an appointment to see his doctor and discuss a referral to a PTSD specialist.
Peter said: “I felt numb. This was the first time I had been in a situation where there were lots of people and it made me feel stressed, but Maria and the team put me at ease immediately. I started to relax and felt listened to for the first time in years.
“I’ve been given so many different anti-depressants over the years, but no-one has actually sat down and asked me the questions that Maria and Pure Insights did. They were absolutely brilliant.
“I know that I’ve been through stressful situations earlier in life and also more recently, but you don’t realise the impact these can have on your mental health. It’s only when someone asks you that you realise that these situations could be the reason why you’re not feeling so great.”
To ensure that he continued to progress Peter was referred to Echo Academy, also a member of our CPN, where he completed his SIA training and obtained his licence. Supported by our Employer Engagement team, Peter applied and successfully interviewed for a Security Guard position in April.
Reflecting on his experience with Maximus, he said: “I wish I had known about Maximus and the support they provide a long time ago. Their help and support with my mental health and wellbeing has been great.
“I honestly wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them, and I will truly miss going to the office and seeing Maria and the team each week. I am so grateful to them for everything they’ve done.
“The service they provide is excellent and I would recommend Maximus to anyone who needs help and support. Just look at me!”
Maximus is committed to supporting veterans to achieve their goals – through transitioning into new roles that utilise their skills, or through supporting them to gain additional skills to embark on a new career.
