Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
The Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire other organisations to do the same.
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About the scheme
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
The ERS is designed primarily to recognise private sector support although public sector organisations such as the emergency services, local authorities, NHS trusts and executive agencies are also eligible to be recognised.
Pledge your organisation’s support via the Bronze award or express your interest in a Silver or Gold award via the links below.
Privacy policy
You can read our Privacy policy to find out more about how we process data.
Bronze award
Bronze award holders:
- are self-nominated by employers who pledge to support the armed forces, including existing or prospective employees who are members of the community
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- promote being armed forces-friendly and are open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners
- receive an electronic certificate and logos to display on their website, stationery and other collateral
View the ERS Bronze award holders
Silver award
Silver award holders:
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- must already be accredited as a holder of ERS Bronze Award and must have held it with sufficient time to develop suitable plans, policies and evidence to support the ERS Silver application - the employer must proactively demonstrate that service personnel and the armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes
- must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues - e.g. an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally-publicised and positive HR policy on Reserves
- within the context of Reserves, the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place, demonstrating support to training by providing at least 5 days’ additional unpaid/paid leave (wherever possible not to Reservist employees’ financial disadvantage)
- must not have been the subject of any negative PR or media activity
- the employer should demonstrate support to the Cadet movement as a whole by providing proactive support to individual cadets and/or to local cadet units
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2025 Silver Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now open.
View the 2024 ERS Silver Award Holders
Gold award
Gold award holders:
- must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- employers must have an existing relationship with their National Account Manager/Regional Employer Engagement Director/appropriate defence representative
- the employer must already be accredited as a holder of ERS Silver Award and must have held it with sufficient time to develop suitable plans, policies and evidence to support the ERS Gold application
- the employer must proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting and selection processes; be engaged with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in the recruitment of service leavers, and have registered for the Forces Families Jobs (FFJ) portal
- the employer must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues - e.g. an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive human resources policy on Reserves
- the employer must be an exemplar within their market sector, advocating support to defence people issues to partner organisations, suppliers and customers with tangible positive results
- within the context of Reserves the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place, and must provide at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
- the employer must actively encourage a positive environment for Reservists by ensuring that positive policies in support of Reservists within the workforce are communicated to line managers
- the employer must not have been the subject of any negative public relations or media activity
- the employer should be an exemplar in demonstrating support to the Cadet movement, e.g. through mentoring cadets in key employment skills, by providing guaranteed interviews for cadets, by direct investment in equipment and infrastructure for a local cadet unit, or by funding and sponsoring competitions, events, and specific activities for cadets such as overseas expeditions
- the employer promotes volunteering with the cadet forces from their workforce by providing additional leave for employees who are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs)
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2025 Gold Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now open.
View the 2024 ERS Gold award holders
Nomination and award process
Employers can sign up themselves for each award.
Nominations will be validated to determine the level of defence personnel employment within the nominated organisation and to check that the organisation has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.
Once the nomination has been validated it will be considered by a selection board at national level for gold awards and regional level for silver awards. The selection boards will be a panel chaired by a senior military officer and they will consider each nomination against the award criteria. Organisations selected for gold and silver awards will be formally notified in writing and invited to the relevant award event.
Related information:
Updates to this page
Last updated 5 December 2024 + show all updates
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Updated: ERS gold, silver and bronze award holders lists.
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Added links to the 2025 Silver and Gold Award Expression of Interest forms.
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Updated 'ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2024' and 'ERS silver award holders - 2015 to 2024'.
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Updated 'ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2024'.
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Updated: ERS gold award holders - 2015 to 2024.
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Updated: ERS silver award holders - 2015 to 2024.
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Updated: ERS gold and silver award holders - 2015 to 2024.
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Updated: ERS silver award holders - 2015 to 2023.
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Updated: ERS gold award holders - 2015 to 2023.
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Updated: ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2024.
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Updated: ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2024.
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The ERS Bronze award holders list has been updated.
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The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2024 Silver Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now closed.
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The list of ERS Bronze holders has been updated.
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The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2024 Gold Award Expression of Interest (EoI) window is now closed.
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The ERS bronze awards holders list has been updated.
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Added links for nominations for the ERS Silver and Gold awards.
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ERS Bronze List 2023 has been updated.
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ERS Bronze holders list 2023 has been updated.
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Updated: ERS bronze award holders - 2015 to 2023.
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The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated
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The ERS Silver list 2023 has been updated.
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ERS gold holders has been updated
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Updated: 'ERS gold award holders - 2015 to 2023'.
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ERS Bronze Award holders list has been updated
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Bronze award holder list updated.
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ERS Bronze holder spreadsheet has been updated.
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Updated list of bronze award holders
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ERS Bronze holders updated
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders.
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Updated: Defence Employer Recognition Scheme under the headings: 'Silver award' and 'Gold award'.
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders’
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Updated organisation name on ERS Silver Award Holder spreadsheet
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updated Bronze holder list
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Updated Gold and Bronze excel lists, deleted Bronze spreadsheet from Nov 2020, deleted tips and tricks on writing a citation document
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updated Bronze award holder list, deleted two spreadsheets that are outdated and not needed (the bronze award holders updated in november spreadsheet, and the tips and tricks for writing your citations pdf).
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"ERS gold award holders - 2021" added.
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Updated: Defence Employer Recognition Scheme by adding new heading 'Privacy policy'.
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changed the silver award status to closed for nominations
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Marked the Gold Award winners nominations as closed.
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Updated: ERS bronze award holders (Updated 16 November 2020).
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award Holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze Award holders
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Updated list of Bronze Award holders. New Bronze application form and new expression of interest forms for Silver and Gold.
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders
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Updated Gold Awards with 'Gold nominations are now closed. If you have any questions regarding nominations please email employerrelations@rfca.mod.uk'.
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Updated the Silver ERS award nomination announcement to reflect the change that took place at 23:59 on the 15 March 2018.
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Addition of Bronze ERS award holders.
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Update of Bronze Employer Recognition Scheme index.
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Update of the Bronze and Silver Award holders for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
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Updating Silver and Bronze Awards Employer Recognition scheme holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Listings.
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Updated list of silver awards holders from 2016.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Change to closing date for Employer Recognition Scheme gold nomination submissions.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Nominations for Employer Recognition Scheme gold and silver awards 2017 are now open. Inclusion of links to nomination forms.
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme gold award winners.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of ERS Bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze holders.
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Updated list of bronze award holders
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated lists of Employer Recognition Scheme silver award winners and bronze award holders.
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Updated list of ERS bronze holders
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Closed Employer Recognition Scheme gold nominations for 2016.
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Updated list of ERS bronze award holders
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze holders.
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Updated list of ERS bronze award holders. Closing of nominations for ERS silver 2016.
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders.
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Updated list of bronze award holders.
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award holders
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Updated list of Employer Recognition Scheme silver award winners.
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Employer Recognition Scheme gold award nominations now open.
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Updated list of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze award holders
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Updated Silver and Bronze award winner lists
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Update to Defence Employer Recognition Scheme silver and bronze award winners.
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Update to Silver and Bronze award holders.
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Announcement of the 2015 Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold winners.
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Update to Defence Employer Recognition Scheme silver and bronze award holders.
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First published.