THE SHAKESPEARE Birthplace Trust has formalised its commitment to being a forces-friendly organisation by signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Lt Col Richard Jones and the Trust’s human resources director Becky Cund signed the Covenant at The Shakespeare Centre.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or who have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
The trust has pledged to support the employment of service leavers, working with the Career Transition Service to offer apprenticeship, job and volunteering opportunities, and assistance with applications and interview techniques. It will also offer flexible working and leave arrangements to service spouses and partners and to employees who choose to be members of the reserve forces, to accommodate their deployment.
And local cadet units will be supported with skills talks and offered available places on training courses for free. Members of the armed forces community will receive a 30 per cent discount on tickets to visit the five Shakespeare homes in the care of the trust.
Becky said, “Being part of the community in which we operate is vital to our work as the charity which cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites and collections here in Stratford-upon-Avon. We recognise the real value the Armed Services Community can bring to our work, both as employees who bring a wealth of skills and experience, and as customers. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship, working closely with the team at Kineton Barracks in particular.”
Lt Col Jones said, “The army in the midlands are delighted to sign the Covenant with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The Trust is a key part of the Warwickshire community and wider midlands community and we hold the same values and passions as the SBT.”
Business and community leaders including Stratford mayor Victoria Alcock, head of local policing Alex Franklin Smith, and representatives of local reservists groups, the RAF, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal British Legion, attended the event, which included a briefing on opportunities for employers and reserve personnel.
