West Lothian College has been named among 24 organisations across the Lowlands of Scotland to receive the coveted Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The accolade recognises the college’s commitment to supporting members of the Armed Forces community, including reservists, service leavers, veterans, and their families.
The award ceremony took place at the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge, where representatives from each organisation were presented with their certificates by Air Officer Scotland, Air Commodore Mark Northover, on behalf of the Defence Secretary.
Joining West Lothian College in receiving the Silver Award were organisations such as McGill’s Buses, Royal British Legion Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Jackie Galbraith, Principal of West Lothian College, said: “West Lothian College is proud to be recognised as a Silver Award Armed Forces Covenant employer. Building on the work done for the bronze level of this award, we will promote that we are a Forces-friendly employer, support the employment of veterans and support colleagues who choose to become members of the Reserve Forces, accommodating their training and deployment.
“One of our values is “welcoming to all” and this is a further demonstration of that value. This award signals our recognition of the value veterans and Reservists can bring to our college.”
The ERS Silver Award is the second-highest honour in the Ministry of Defence’s recognition scheme- to qualify, organisations must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging to support Defence through services, policy, and advocacy, and a key feature of Silver Award holders is their commitment to offering Reservists within their workforce five days of paid or unpaid leave for training purposes.
Air Officer Scotland Air Commodore Mark Northover presented the certificates and paid tribute to the recipients.
“This is a busy time for both our Regular and Reserve personnel, who are engaged in numerous operations and training exercises at home and abroad,” he said. “It is essential that our sailors, soldiers and aviators have the full support of their employers in order to take part in such operations, and so I offer my sincere gratitude to everyone here this evening for providing that vital support.”