The Spicerhaart estate agency group has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, signalling its commitment to being a forces-friendly employer.

At the same time, it has joined the Ministry of Defence Career Transition Partnership (CTP) scheme, connecting the company, which has its headquarters in the garrison town of Colchester in Essex, with a wide pool of highly trained and skilled ex-service and reservist personnel.

Emma Barber, Spicerhaart’s Head of Training and Development, whose husband is a former soldier, said: “This is such an important initiative for us as people retiring from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines have so many transferable talents. They are disciplined, motivated and have excellent communication skills.”

Among those who’ve already put their talents to good use within the company are IT Infrastructure specialist David Skingley, 55, who joined Spicerhaart in 2017, having completed a 26-year military career, followed by 13 years in commercial and government roles.

He said: “As an ex-soldier, the Armed Forces Covenant is close to my heart, and therefore it is great to see the Spicerhaart group getting so involved. When you first leave the forces, it can be extremely daunting because you don’t necessarily realise you have the skills that businesses are looking for.

“Having worked in IT during my service, it was more of a straightforward transition for me than others, but I’d encourage anyone else searching for a new role to take a look at what estate agency has to offer.”