So, you’re hanging up your uniform after less than four years? Feeling excited, nervous or somewhere in between? It’s totally normal! The Forces Employment Charity (FEC) and Career Transition Partnership (CTP) are here to help you transition to civilian life.

In 2015, the MOD recognised the need for Early Service Leavers (ESLs) to receive support when they leave the military and has since funded the CTP Future Horizons Programme as part of the CTP contract. CTP Future Horizons is a programme designed by the FEC, delivering tailored support for two years after you leave the forces.

As an ESL, you should be registered with the programme automatically by your unit.  You can then meet with one of our friendly advisors at one of our hubs, located at RRC Catterick, ATC Pirbright and RC Plymouth. And if you’re at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, the CTCRM Lympstone, or HMS Raleigh, our advisors visit weekly, so you’ll meet them there as you go through your discharge process. If you’re not at one of these locations, the team will call you to talk through your support.

Why us?

Because every service leaver deserves support, no matter how long they served. We get it: transitioning from the military can be rough. But fear not, many of our team are ex-military or from military families who’ve been there, done that. And all of us have helped tons of people, just like you, figure out their next move, whether it’s landing a great job, going to college or university, rocking an apprenticeship, or whatever your career goal is.

Once you’ve spoken to one of our hub team staff, you’ll probably be getting ready to travel home, and while this can feel like a challenging time, you will have a call booked with one of our ‘Community’ team and will be able to access all the support available through the programme for the next two years.

Once you’re settled back at home, we will be in regular contact via telephone, email, or text. Initially, we’ll help work out your most important outcome – for example, a job or apprenticeship – and then discuss how you can achieve this. We know everyone is different, so we’re flexible in how we support you. The main aim is to help you achieve your goal. If you have barriers to employment, whether significant, such as homelessness, or something you feel is trivial, if we can help, we will. We can recommend the right organisation to contact based on your needs, location, and availability, or put you in touch with the Defence Transition Service for welfare advice and support.

The best part? It’s completely FREE!

You get two years of support after leaving the military, and even after that, you can still get help from the FEC as a ‘veteran’ for life. So basically, we’re your career sidekick for the long haul.

Ready to conquer your civilian adventure? We’re here to help you win!

If you are an ESL within two years of your discharge date and were NOT registered with the CTP Future Horizons Programme, you can register and find out more here.