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BAE System's mission to increase employment for veterans

By Sophie Thompson 
Published: November 21, 2022
READ TIME: 2 minutes
Defence powerhouse BAE Systems was awarded the 2021 Veteran Employer of the Year (large industry). In their continued pursuit to employ more veterans and the wider military community (spouses and families), BAE Systems engaged with WithYouWithMe to source security cleared talent, prioritising Potential over experience.

The challenge

With large Defence contracts comes a need for suitable, security cleared personnel. To address this need and boost social impact in the veteran community, BAE Systems partnered with WithYouWithMe (WYWM). As a global veteran employment accelerator, WYWM was able to assist BAE Systems in bringing more digitally skilled veterans into their workforce.

Using WYWMs Potential platform, BAE Systems were able to identify tech talent and train them in the fields where WYWM's aptitude testing showed they would thrive.

The WYWM & BAE Systems partnership provides many benefits, including access to suitably security cleared candidates, diversifying the workforce and fostering a culture aimed at rapidly upskilling current and future employees.

This partnership is a win-win as it allows us to provide tailored pathways to veterans looking to work in technology focused roles and enables the company to build a sustainable future through purposeful workforce skilling initiatives.

Danielle Mesa
BAE Systems Australia,
Chief People Officer

Shared vison = Shared mission

BAE Systems and WYWM share a vision and mission to employ more veterans and the wider military community. Our mission to ensure excellent employment outcomes in the technology sector is enhanced by our shared understanding of the value of veterans in the civilian employment space.

Like many other organisations, BAE Systems have been impacted by the shortage of digitally skilled talent globally. However, through their initiative of creating a Veterans Advisory Committee to support veteran employment into BAE Systems Australia, they have been able to realise the significant value that veterans bring to the organisation.

This understanding has been instrumental to BAE Systems's ability to take full advantage of the WYWM program. To date, 18 veterans have participated in the WYWM program upskilling in critical trades like Cyber Security, Systems Admin, and Network Engineering.

How does it work?

  1. Register - Job Accelerator and assessment event
  2. Discover - Assesses: aptitude, personality, learning style & psychometrics
  3. Squad Selection - Based on character traits, skills and potential
  4. Training - Onboarding transition and comprehensive re-skilling
  5. Deploy - Work with BAE Systems

Social impact with purpose

  • Halfway into the 12-month program, the partnership expanded to support 8 further roles across different projects
  • BAE Systems and WYWM are bounding towards our mutual goal of creating broader scope and employment opportunities for veterans and their wider community
  • By engaging more veterans, we are assisting BAE Systems to drive towards their goal of being the veteran 'employer of choice'

Prior to landing the role with BAE Systems, I was really struggling to find the right position and I was feeling anxious about the future. BAE Systems has given me confidence and provided me with a safe and secure workplace.

Luke Gerritsen
WYWM – BAE Systems,
Squad Member Australian Army Veteran

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