SSAFA Mentoring Conference given a big boost by Landmarc HR and Vistry Group

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03 December 2024

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, held the annual Mentoring Conference in Staffordshire on 7 October, bringing together more than 100 mentors from across the UK.

Mentors come from all kinds of backgrounds and are based all over the UK. They support serving members of the military and their families as they transfer out of service life and into the civilian world. This year’s conference focused on housing and employment, two main areas of support needs identified by mentors.

They were treated to talks by Lee Buss-Blair Riverside’s Group Veterans Lead and Director of Operations, who explained the complexities and issues around veteran housing and Op Fortitude. Mentee and Mentor duo Phil and Keith also spoke and shared Phil’s story of transition and the challenges he has faced since leaving the military.

Clare Bain, Mentoring Services Manager, said: “It is wonderful to see so many of our volunteers together sharing knowledge and skills with each other. SSAFA is grateful to all our speakers, especially those from Landmarc who continue to provide essential funding and guidance for the conference, as well as those from Vistry Group, who chose SSAFA as their charity this year and were in attendance.”

Landmarc HR team provided invaluable insight into writing a CV in 2024, offering guidance on what to include and how to effectively market transferable skills gained in the military. Vistry Group, who have a range of opportunities within the construction sector, provided an insight into employment pathways for ex-service personnel.

Mark Neill, Managing Director at Landmarc said: "Mentoring is such a critical service, so I’m proud that Landmarc has been able to extend its support by training members of our own team to become mentors. Not only are we able to support SSAFA, but our close relationship enables us to gain valuable insights into the veteran community to make us a more effective Forces Friendly Employer."

Jenny King, Head of Corporate Engagement said: “We are very grateful to Landmarc for enabling us to bring together our incredible volunteer mentors. Our mentoring service would not be possible without the support of our Corporate Partners. To find out how your organisation could get involved and support our services please contact jenny.king@ssafa.org.uk”