Infrastructure design consultancy Anderson Green is a staunch advocate of the Employer Recognition Scheme.
Back in 2017, the Nottinghamshire firm devised a five-year plan to break into the Defence sector.
If that was not ambitious enough, company bosses also wanted to be recognised as one of, if not the, best regional design houses working with Defence.
Achieving the Ministry of Defence’s highest honour for employers was identified as a key milestone towards that goal.
And Anderson Green has taken on that challenge with gusto, surpassing standards while inspiring construction partners to adapt a Forces-friendly culture.
Synergy
Over the last decade, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme has grown to include thousands of organisations, each drawn to the scheme and its overarching commitment to supporting Reservists, Service Leavers, Cadet Volunteers and Military Spouses, for different reasons.
Anderson Green has two main motivations. The first is to attract the right people with the right skills and experience.
The business works with the Armed Forces to design and develop military infrastructure. Recent work has seen them develop a state-of-the-art training simulator and move the dye-generating unit as part of the Red Arrows relocation. Further, it has worked on refurbishing facilities in support of the new ‘Protector’ remotely piloted aircraft system, all at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
No one is arguably better suited to their field than military engineers. Anderson Green employs five members of staff within its Defence Division – two of them are Service Leavers and four Reservists – and all of them are Royal Engineers. In total, the company employs around 90 members of staff across its Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and London offices.
Having that specialist background means not only that they are resilient and disciplined, with the ability to work under pressure, but also that they have transferable design, engineering, and project management skills and qualifications, and that they are familiar with the Defence infrastructure working environment.
Danny Downham (above), Defence Director at Anderson Green, said: “Reservists training directly benefits their role in the workplace through transferable skills such as decision making, risk management, communication, self-discipline, leadership, team building, lifesaving skills such as first aid and technical engineering, in this instance with the Royal Engineers Reserves.”
In seeking to recruit past and present Royal Engineers, Anderson Green has developed a close association with 20 Works Group (Air Support), an Army Reserve unit within the Corps of Royal Engineers based at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.
Danny, a former Royal Engineer in the Regular Army who is now a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves and the Commanding Officer of 20 Works Group, added: “In this unique position here at Anderson Green, we have Reservists who not only work with 20 Works Group, but actively involve themselves with the design and build of aerodrome infrastructure in their day jobs with us, like at RAF Waddington.
“It is that mutual appreciation and understanding of both their Defence sector work, allied with the fullest understanding of the Reservists’ role on the RAF airbases, being involved in real-time, simple and complex design of Defence critical infrastructure, that adds real value to both the operational role of the Reserves, but also Anderson Green’s role working within the Defence sector.
“Understanding both the operational context of infrastructure and the role of the airbase with Reservists training only deepens the understanding with building design consultancy to give the highest quality product to Defence.”
According to Danny, the synergy between Anderson Green and 20 Works Group is providing a boost to both.
Attraction
The Employer Recognition Scheme has been a cornerstone of Anderson Green’s recruitment success over the years.
Through the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, businesses are provided with support to implement increasingly higher levels of support to Armed Forces Personnel. The Awards themselves serve to advertise companies’ Forces-friendly credentials to job-seeking Reservists and Service Leavers.
Anderson Green is deeply committed to the scheme’s core value that the Armed Forces Community should not be unfairly disadvantaged by their service, meeting standards for supportive HR policies to create an attractive working environment.
But it has also exceeded expectations, for example, introducing 14 days of additional paid leave for Reservists within their workplace, above the required 10 days.
The Defence sector contractor has also introduced a guaranteed interview scheme for military personnel who meet the criteria for a role, and they offer extensive workplace industry placements, CV writing, and interview preparation support for Service Leavers.
Richard Stacey (below), an airfield specialist who joined Anderson Green in 2023, was full of praise for the scheme and the support his employer offers to Reservists.
An Army Reservist with 20 Works Group, he said that Silver and Gold Awards given to companies had been an influential factor in where he has worked since leaving the Regular Army in 2016.
Richard said: “The Employer Recognition Scheme is absolutely fantastic. It was one of the things that attracted me to this job.
“My previous employer had the Silver Award, but getting an additional 14 days of paid leave here is great and really helps me to balance work and my Reserves training without taking away from my personal life.”
Giving back and going further
Returning to motivations, there is another equally important reason why, alongside recruitment, Anderson Green has engaged with the Employer Recognition Scheme and introduced a string of Forces-friendly policies – to give back.
Danny added: “As willing volunteers, it is also about giving back and helping the next generation of Service Leavers, Reserves, and Adult Volunteers.
“It would be remiss of us not to include looking after our Veterans, who have committed so much in their lifetime through Military service.”
In addition to its support for Service Leavers and Reservists, Anderson Green has supported and sponsored good causes, such as the Armed Forces charity SSAFA and the Royal Engineers Golf Society, to further give back to those who help keep our country safe.
The building services consultancy promotes the benefits of the Employer Recognition Scheme to its industry partners, both within and outside of the Defence sector.
Adam Keightley (below), Commercial Director at Anderson Green, added: “We’ve helped to advise clients and partners, including regional and national tier one contractors and architects, as part of ongoing work, and we’ve introduced them to the scheme.
“For those wanting to work within the Defence arena, it’s more of a case of telling them they need to be part of this.”
Anderson Green is a standing member of our Regional Employer Engagement Group, a key forum for the scheme in the East Midlands, and it proudly displays its core Forces pledges on its website.
Partnership
After much hard work, five years on from establishing its ambitious vision to expand into the Defence sector, Anderson Green received the Gold Award.
Anderson Green lives and breathes the Employer Recognition Scheme, understanding the value of employing Armed Forces personnel and that supporting them can lead to a mutually beneficial partnership.
The strong partnership between Anderson Green and the Armed Forces is a great example of the type of relationship the Government wishes to nurture more of between the Armed Forces and industry as it shifts towards a ‘whole of society’ approach to the security of our country.
Back in 2022, at the Gold Awards ceremony held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, it was an emotional night for Anderson Green.
Adam added: “It was part of our former Chairman’s vision to achieve the Gold Award, and when we did, his words were: ‘This is, if not the one of, the proudest moments of my career.’ Taking the vision and bringing it to life brought him to tears; it meant that much.
“Moving into the Defence sector was a massive investment for us. We had a five-year business plan to be one of, if not the, best regional design houses on the estate, along with a path to get there.
“Achieving the Gold Award was a stepping stone to achieving that. You cannot say you’re delivering for Defence without those credentials, which recognise the people we have recruited and the work we have done to change the business.”
