The Ministry of Defence launched a new service in June for veterans and reservists to find opportunities in the Armed Forces, across all three Services including joint organisations.

Between 24 June (launch) and 4th September, the SERVE (Service for Experienced, Re-joiner and Volunteer Engagements) website received over 106,000 page views. 1,189 users have registered and 870 of these have set up alerts to receive a notification when a relevant opportunity is posted.

You can view their video on YouTube.

The platform is part of the Modernising Defence Programme (see latest report) plan to strengthen the performance of the Whole Force: accessing the talents of Regulars, Reserves, Civil Service and industry partners more effectively. 

59% of ResCAS 2019 (a tri-service annual survey of reservists’ attitudes) respondents are interested in increasing their current level of Reserve commitment and 83% said they would like to be notified of opportunities to serve over and above Reserve Service days. 

Before SERVE, each Service published its Reserve opportunities separately, online, in different formats. 

With SERVE, registered users can discover Reservist and Re-joiner opportunities in the Armed Forces, from short term tasks to full time reserve service and additional duties commitment.

SERVE also offers a simple way for all users, be they reservists, service leavers or veterans, to stay connected with Defence. Information panels cover a range of subjects from Defence announcements, recruitment campaigns for trade skills, and advice during national emergencies, through to signposting users to tools and support on other websites, such as Veterans’ Gateway and Discover my Benefits. Offering Service leavers and Veterans a new, easy way to stay connected with Defence will make it easier for them to re-join into Regular or Reserve Service, if they wish.

How does it work? Once registered, users can filter vacancies by Service, location, branch/cap badge, rank, engagement type or length, specialism, or any combination of these. Users can also add their skills and experience to make it easier to apply for opportunities in the future. And they can see the latest Defence announcements, campaigns and support which can help individuals stay up to date with Defence.

Inthe coming months, SERVE will introduce even more functionality, enabling users to apply for some opportunities directly through SERVE so register now and see what the opportunities are in your area.