Support Organisations for Veterans in Construction

‍‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‍# Support organisations for veterans in construction

You've got more support than you think, the trick is knowing who does what, so you're not just staring at a wall of logos. Below is who's actually useful, and how.

Quick rule of thumb: the money and support help is there: it's just spread across MOD credits and charity support, not a single "veteran grant". BuildForce for construction mapping, CTP for resettlement, ELCAS for course funding, and charities for everything else.

1. Construction-specific support

BuildForce

What they do:

• Construction-only transition charity: mentoring, career coaching, insight days, job brokering.
• Pairs you with a mentor already in construction (trades, plant, civils, management) · over 300 service leavers paired in early phases and growing.
• Organises site visits, work placements and employer days with big contractors and clients.

Good for you if: you want a straight line into construction, not a generic job centre; you're unsure which role fits your background.

Building Heroes

What they do:

• Run 5-week intensive construction/property maintenance courses for service leavers and veterans.
• You leave with CSCS card plus key basic construction qualifications, ready for entry-level roles or further training.
• They then connect you with employers and ongoing training options.

Good for you if: you want a simple, hands-on starter route onto site with a bit of everything, not just theory.

2. General transition and employment help

Career Transition Partnership (CTP)

What they do:

• MOD's official resettlement service.
• Offers career guidance, CV support, interview prep, job matching and training across sectors, including construction.
• Runs employment fairs and employer events where big contractors recruit directly from leavers.

Good for you if: you're still serving or within the resettlement window and want to line up training and interviews before leaving.

The Poppy Factory

What they do:

• Specialises in helping ex-forces with mental or physical health conditions back into work.
• Offers 1-to-1 employment support: job search, CVs, interview prep, plus help applying for training/qualification grants (they signpost/facilitate, not fund directly).
• Stays in touch after you start work, and works with employers to keep things on track.

Good for you if: your health is a barrier and you need a slower, supported route into or back into work.

SSAFA

What they do:

• Military charity offering welfare, housing, financial and practical support to serving personnel, veterans and families.
• Can help if you're in a mess with money, housing, or family issues that make it hard to hold down work.

Good for you if: life outside work is on fire, debts, housing, family, and you need that stabilised before you can really focus on a construction job.

Royal British Legion

What they do:

• Provides welfare and grants, plus employment support and advice for veterans.
• Can offer small grants for tools, training or emergency costs that help you take or keep a job.

Good for you if: you need some financial backing or practical help on top of job-search support.

3. Mental-health support (veteran-specific)

Veterans' Gateway, 0808 802 1212

What they do:

• 24/7 first point of contact for veterans and families.
• You tell them what's going on (work, money, housing, mental health) and they triage and signpost to the right charity/service · SSAFA, Combat Stress, RBL, etc.

Good for you if: you're not sure where to start, or you've got multiple issues at once.

Combat Stress

What they do:

• Specialist mental-health charity for ex-forces · PTSD, depression, anxiety, trauma.
• Offers clinical and therapeutic treatment, both community and residential, free of charge.
• Currently supports thousands of veterans, including many from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Good for you if: the things you've seen/done are still following you and standard GP support isn't cutting it.

Construction-specific mental health

Lighthouse Club and Mates in Mind (from earlier guides) are construction-specific, not veteran-only, but they understand the site side and pair well with Combat Stress/GP support.

4. Construction employers and veteran schemes

Many big contractors are Armed Forces Covenant signatories and run veteran programmes.

Balfour Beatty

• Re-signed the Covenant and committed to recruiting around 200 veterans annually from 2025 (~10% of UK hires).
• Runs a Military Talent Pathway: targeted training in H&S and project management for new veteran joiners.

Other major players (Kier, Morgan Sindall, etc.)

• Work with BuildForce, CTP and Building Heroes on guaranteed interview schemes, insight days and veteran recruitment drives.

Good for you if: you want an employer who already "gets" the forces and isn't staring blankly at your CV.

5. Any veteran-specific cards or grants?

There's no special CSCS or CPCS card purely for veterans, you still need the same tests and NVQs as everyone else.

The advantages are:

• Free or subsidised training via BuildForce, Building Heroes, Project RECCE, etc. (CSCS and entry-level quals bundled).
• ELCAS funding for higher-level construction courses (NVQs, electrical training, management) if you have enough qualifying service.
• Some charities/employers (for example, RBL, Poppy Factory partners) can help with course and tool costs on a case-by-case basis.

So the money help is there, it's just spread across MOD credits and charity support, not a single "veteran grant".

Who to contact, all in one place

What to do next

• If you're still serving: register with CTP and BuildForce now · don't wait until your last month.
• If you're recently out and want construction: contact BuildForce for career mapping and Building Heroes if you want a quick hands-on starter course.
• If your head's not right: call Veterans' Gateway (0808 802 1212) · they'll triage you to the right place, whether that's Combat Stress, GP, or something else.
• If life is chaotic (money, housing, family): call SSAFA or RBL before trying to force a job search · stabilise first, then work.

Sources

• BuildForce · over 300 service leavers paired with construction mentors; CITB-funded project outcomes.
• Building Heroes · 5-week construction courses for veterans; CSCS card + qualifications on completion.
• CTP · MOD official resettlement service; sector-specific courses and employer events.
• The Poppy Factory · 1-to-1 employment support for veterans with health conditions.
• SSAFA · welfare and practical support for serving personnel, veterans and families.
• Royal British Legion · grants for tools, training and emergency costs.
• Veterans' Gateway · 24/7 triage service for veterans and families.
• Combat Stress · specialist clinical and therapeutic treatment for veteran PTSD, depression and trauma.
• Balfour Beatty · Armed Forces Covenant, 200 veterans per year target, Military Talent Pathway.
• Armed Forces Covenant · employer commitments to fair treatment and support for veterans.

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