Closing the Gap: How Laptops Unlock Opportunities for Veterans

In the fast-paced world of digital technology, access to a laptop can be the key to unlocking numerous opportunities.

Despite wider perception of former army servicemen and servicewomen being highly-equipped and highly-skilled, for veterans transitioning to civilian life, access to the appropriate devices can be transformative, in enabling them to fulfil their potential.

Thanks to initiatives like the collaboration between unconnected.org and Forces Employment Charity, this barrier is slowly being shattered.

Iain Downie, Director of Resources at Forces Employment Charity, understands the profound impact of such initiatives.

As a retired Army officer himself, with a distinguished career spanning over two decades, Downie's journey mirrors the challenges and triumphs many veterans face during their transition to civilian life.

“I was very young and naïve; I didn't know what I was getting involved in,” recalls Downie, reflecting on his decision to join the army straight out of school in 1990.

“You pretty rapidly understand what it is and you pretty rapidly understand that you do want to go out there and serve.

“Most of the people that I have worked with over the years have that idea of service.”

This sense of duty, perhaps rooted in his family’s history of public service with his grandfather serving the military in the Second World War, led him on a varied career path within the military, culminating in commanding his own regiment in Germany.

After reaching the pinnacle of his career, Downie decided it was time to step down from the army in 2013, in order to focus on his children’s needs for stability.

Transitioning from the structured environment of the military to the civilian world presented him with unique challenges as he had a buffer of six months trying to identify what it was he wanted to do

“For a very long time, you know what you are going to be doing,” says Downie, as he explains the structure within the forces, “you know what the next thing that you are going to be doing, or somebody tells you what it is going to be – you don’t need to find a role as such.

“I had never written a CV before I left, I certainly had never done a job interview, I had never looked for a job online and whilst all of those things are second nature to many people, if you’ve never done it before it’s a massive challenge.”

The shift not only to navigating job searches and interviews, but also certain digital platforms and devices can be daunting for veterans who have never encountered them before.

Downie explained that there is a huge disparity in the technological skills that those in the army leave with.

“Back in 1990 or so, most things were very much done on paper, we didn’t routinely use PCs of any sort, so we were already using digital skills but in things radio communications, inventorying even was done on paper.

“There is the opportunity to learn digital skills, but not everyone does.”

He continued: “Some of the normal tools of the trade, so using a PC or a laptop, using Microsoft office, those sorts of things aren’t necessarily second nature, certainly using cloud-based software that we all take for granted probably is something that people are a bit weaker on.”

While the military equips individuals with invaluable leadership and people skills, the digital skills required in today's workforce are not always second nature which is one of numerous reasons why initiatives providing laptops become crucial for ex-forces looking to move onto the next stage of their career.

In the last two years Downie in conjunction with Forces Employment Charity has distributed 150 laptops, 15 of which have come from unconnected.org, to veterans in need, facilitating their job searches, training, and education.

“That connection was incredibly helpful, they arrived in January and 13 of those are now out with a variety of our clients”

The 22,500 veterans the charity assists range from those in transition from the army, their family members and even veterans who have had brushes with the law, struggling to find employment.

The laptops can assist those looking for training in cyber careers, or those who have fallen on tough times attempting to complete their CV and job applications from their mobile phones which Downie acknowledges is “incredibly difficult to do it well”.

A youngster who the charity class as an “early service leader” had to leave the army either due to failing assessment or becoming injured at just 17.

Thanks to the laptop he was provided, he found an apprenticeship to become an electrical engineer and is on his path to a fruitful career away from the military.

Success stories like these should be ample and as Downie points out, those who have served, should not be inhibited from the same opportunities that ordinary civilians have due to a lack of resources.

The provision of laptops does not just help bridge the digital divide but also empowers veterans to thrive in their civilian lives.