LJMU presented with gold award for support of the Armed Forces community

LJMU was celebrated alongside other Northwest-based organisations for its commitment to the Armed Forces community at the UK Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Merseyside Gold Awards 2024.

In August the university gained gold status with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and was officially presented with the award at a ceremony at the city’s Liver Building.

The award, the highest of those available under the recognition scheme, comes just over 18 months after the university gained initial bronze status, in Autumn 2022, and then silver status, in Spring 2023.

The award recognises how LJMU continues to actively demonstrate support for the Armed Forces community since signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2021. In particular, the gold award acknowledges how the university proactively demonstrates its forces-friendly credentials as part of its recruitment and selection processes, its support for reservists and cadet force volunteers within the workforce, and how it advocates support to defence people issues both within the university and with external partner organisations.

LJMU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Power, collected the award alongside the university’s Armed Forces Champion, Dr Gus Ryrie.

Guest speakers at the awards ceremony included the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mr Mark Blundell and the Principal MoD guest was Commodore Tom Knowles RN ADC, Commander Naval Regional Headquarters North.

Vice-Chancellor recognises wider Armed Forces Steering Group for contributing to award

The Vice-Chancellor, and members of the university’s Executive Leadership Team, also hosted members of the university’s Armed Forces Steering Group in the days after the awards ceremony to recognise and thank them for their contributions which supported the gold award application.

LJMU’s support for the Armed Forces community

Since signing the Armed Forces Covenant three years ago, LJMU has appointed its first Armed Forces Champion and formed a cross-university Armed Forces Steering Group, which brings together colleagues across all factions of the university to drive forwards everything from research to HR policy development, all with the aim of better supporting students and staff from the Armed Forces community and creating positive change for the community across the UK.

Find out more about LJMU’s pledge to the Armed Forces community.