Affordable housing provider, Orbit, signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant in 2017 and last year, received the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award from the Ministry of Defence, in recognition of its support to the defence and Armed Forces community.
Here, RAF Regiment reservist and Property Manager, David Fawcett (26) talks about how Orbit supported him during his mobilisation for active duty in 2022…
“I started my career at Orbit four years ago, after initially joining their Graduate scheme,” says David. “I signed up to be a reservist in 2019 and finished my training in the middle of 2021. I wanted to do something different and get the most out of life, with opportunities to travel and have experiences I wouldn’t get as a civilian.
“I’m a member of the RAF Regiment, trained in airfield defence and capture. There’s a lot of transferable skills to be taken from the reserves and I’ve been put through a series of courses which really help with my civilian life, such as first aid and medical, fire safety and driving qualifications.
“The Armed Forces expects its people to be organised and disciplined, character traits which I’ve personally seen an improvement in since joining. Being a reservist also requires you to step outside your comfort zone, which improves your confidence and self-belief.
“Orbit were genuinely brilliant in allowing me to mobilise from January to September 2022,” David continues. “Towards the end of 2021, I was asked to deploy as part of the regular Armed Forces for six months. This would involve 10 months in total, away from Orbit and my full-time job as a Property Manager in Stratford-upon-Avon.
“My line manager was nothing but supportive and allowed me to accept the offer of deployment. I worked with our HR department to complete all the necessary paperwork, which went smoothly without any issues.
“Once mobilised, I was deployed on a NATO tasking which involved working alongside several other nations. My role was Force Protection, providing security for RAF Regiment operations. It was a brilliant experience, and it is something I will remember for many years to come. The highlight of my deployment was being selected to captain a NATO football match against local opposition and lead a team of players from five different countries!
“I’m very grateful to Orbit for allowing me to do this and I’d strongly recommend the reserves for anyone wishing to broaden their skill set.”
Orbit demonstrates this commitment through its work with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), who provide job opportunities to ex-armed forces personnel, and by advertising vacancies which match the skill set of those who’ve left the armed forces on their portal.
Reservists are also supported with its ‘time off policy’, enabling colleagues to have time away from the business to carry out any required training without using their allocated annual leave.
