Wigan's hospital trust introduces guaranteed interview scheme for armed forces

Members of the armed forces community applying for roles within Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), will now be offered interviews when all the essential job criteria laid out in job descriptions and specifications are met.

The scheme, which launched in January, supports the pledges in the Armed Forces Covenant and the Trust’s accreditation as a Gold Award Employer.

By providing guaranteed interviews, WWL will be helping veterans across the borough to demonstrate their skills beyond the initial application stage and paves the way for greater employment opportunities.

Leanne Cobham, WWL’s armed forces lead, explained how this will benefit Wigan’s armed forces community. She said: “This is a huge step forward for WWL in our commitment to supporting our armed forces community and really brings to life what it means to be a Gold Award-accredited employer.

“The armed forces community offer invaluable skills and knowledge to many jobs across the NHS and I’m delighted we are looking at new ways to attract them to join us at the trust.”

The scheme does not offer a guaranteed job but does allow veterans, reservists and their families a better chance to find work, especially when it can be hard for them to transition to civilian life and secure employment.

WWL recruitment manager Sarah Atcha said: “WWL is committed to assisting the armed forces community to overcome employment barriers.

“We recognise the invaluable contributions and transferrable skills the armed forces community can bring to healthcare, and we welcome more applications from those looking to bring their military expertise into the NHS.”

David Lowe, operations team manager from Walking with the Wounded – a British Military Charity dedicated to helping support veterans and their families – said “Our ex-servicemen and women possess some unrivalled skills and excellent personal qualities, which can prove invaluable in fast-paced working environments such as the NHS.

“Collaboration is key to our success at Walking with the Wounded and we are proud to be working alongside WWL to assist more veterans and family members into lasting employment with the Trust”

It is advised that applicants state whether they are a veteran, reservist, cadet, part of the armed forces family or a transitioning service leader and select the armed forces option on their application.