Leisure facilities operator Parkwood Leisure has signed the Armed Forces Covenant as part of its commitment to providing employment opportunities to ex-servicemen and women.

The Armed Forces Covenant focusses on helping members of the armed forces community to have the same access to government and commercial services and products as any other citizen. All 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and four Northern Ireland councils have pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant.

With this agreement, Parkwood will support the employment of veterans with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), which aims to establish a tailored employment pathway for service leavers.

The CTP connects a wide range of experienced, trained and skilled ex-service people with employers. This relationship recognises and builds on the talent that ex-service personnel have to offer the wider civilian labour market, and aims to match this up to employers’ demands for high quality employees to drive their businesses forward.

Parkwood Leisure’s partner companies Lex Leisure and Legacy Leisure have also both signed the covenant.

As one of the UK’s leading leisure facilities operators, Parkwood offers a wide range of opportunities that match closely with service life and has well-structured opportunities for those who wish to progress. Lt. Col. Andrew Wadland joined Parkwood as Commercial Director after leaving the Army, having served with local regiment The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, now the Mercian Regiment.

Now Strategy and Performance Director for the organisation, Andrew said, “Parkwood Leisure was very supportive of me joining the Reserves and they appreciate the skills and values that military service brings to the business. Since I joined the company, we have welcomed ex-service personnel as project managers, gym staff and leisure centre managers, as well as partners of service personnel in sales teams and administrative positions.”

“In signing the Armed Forces Covenant I am delighted that we have formally recognised what was already part of our DNA. "

For more information about the Armed Forces Covenant, visit www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk