SaBRE recently arranged for a number of employers and employer representative bodies, from the public and private sector, to visit Afghanistan to see for themselves the valuable role the Reserve Forces are playing in the country.
As part of SaBRE’s Employers Abroad programme, the group visited Camp Bastion, Kandahar and Kabul during the four day visit and met a number of Reservists who are serving alongside the Regular Forces. The Reservists they met were carrying out roles such as mentoring members of the Afghan National Army and running the field hospital at Camp Bastion.
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, who was part of the visit, said:
The thing that really struck me was just how totally integrated they are with the regulars, and how dependent the opperation is on reservists.”
The visit aimed to raise awareness amongst employers of the valuable skills which Reservists develop through training and when mobilised, many of which can be transferred back to the civilian workplace. It also sought to underline the importance of employer support for the Reserve Forces as without this it can very challenging for Reservists to balance their military and civilian careers.