Hi, my name is Gemma and I work as an employment advisor. After leaving the armed forces in 2012, it was a challenge for me to find work due to being out of the workforce for five years and having a young child with limited civilian qualifications. This is a common theme for veterans coming out of the military.

One of the biggest challenges for veterans is finding housing, doctors, and dentists as they may have had it all provided by the military. But the main barrier to employment for veterans is the lack of civilian qualifications. Despite this, veterans have a lot of transferable skills that can be useful in the workforce.

As someone who used to be a helicopter engineer in the armed forces, I cannot work on civilian helicopters due to not having the correct qualifications. I think it's important for employers to consider the transferable skills that candidates bring to the table rather than solely focusing on their qualifications.

In my opinion, a more diverse workforce includes people of all ages and backgrounds with various skill sets, not just those with the right qualifications.