A new program to help employers attract ex-Defence talent has been praised by an Australian Industry Group member whose own thriving business has veterans from top to bottom.
The Australian Government’s Veteran Employment Program offers advice and resources on a broad range of topics including recruiting, retaining and supporting veterans, as well as leadership and public commitment to veteran employment.
There are tools and practical advice that can be easily implemented.
Veterans offer a range of desirable and transferable skills, experience and values that can enhance civilian workplaces including leadership, problem-solving, adaptability and teamwork.
Ai Group member AEP Engineering — led by Mick McMillan, who has 30 years’ experience in the Australian military — currently has 14 ex-Defence employees.
“My General Manager is also a veteran, along with my Production Manager, Logistics Manager and supervisors,” Mr McMillan, pictured, said.
“It’s throughout the business and it has very much been a conscious choice to employ veterans. For me, there is also a moral obligation.
“I've done very well out of Defence, with the skillset and mindset I’ve gained.
“It goes for all veterans: If someone has reached a certain rank, such as Warrant Officer, you know they possess a wide range of skills.”
“A huge motivator for me is that fellow veterans understand where I’m coming from; they understand my mindset, so I don't have to modify the way I articulate things,” Mr McMillan said.
“For example, when I’m developing the business, I would adopt what I call a military appreciation process.
“It’s a structured and strategic way of looking at competitive factors that involves contextualising things into a mapped-out process that most people in the space I come from understand.
“Defence teaches that through the whole career of individuals.”
It’s not always easy.
“Some of their needs can be quite demanding if they are navigating psychological issues,” Mr McMillan said.
“Like first responders, military personnel get exposed to situations many in the general population will fortunately never face.
“The trauma can be a challenge. The Veteran Employment Program addresses this.”
Mr McMillan said he would “100 per cent” encourage other employers to consider employing veterans.
“They need a chance to understand their own value, which can take a little bit of time, but when they find that value, it’s exemplary,” he said.
“We had one bloke who turned up for a job interview as a trades assistant, and I put him straight in as a project manager because he didn't appreciate the value of his skillset.
“Once you show them their value, they pick it up very quickly.”
In recognition of its commitment to ex-military employment, Townsville-based AEP is considered a gold standard Veteran Employer of Choice by the Government.
In 2021, the business, which provides mechanical engineering services and advanced manufacturing for the defence, mining and energy sectors in North Queensland, was awarded Outstanding Veterans Employer of the Year and Veterans Employer of the Year – Small Business.
Click here for more information about the Veteran Employment Program.
Veterans undertaking re-training/reskilling at university can access these Ai Group-supported programs:
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
