How Op ASCEND helps UK veterans and their families find jobs, acquire additional skills and build new careers

Op ASCEND is a free, government‑backed employment service designed specifically for veterans and their families. Delivered by the Forces Employment Charity, it helps you build confidence, understand the job market and connect with employers who genuinely value military experience.

If you’re ready for a fresh start, a career change or simply some expert guidance, Op ASCEND is here to help.

Time to read:

4 minutes

What is Op ASCEND?

Op ASCEND is a free, government-backed support service delivered by the Forces Employment Charity that gives veterans and their families one‑to‑one careers advice from specialist‑trained advisers.

With a history spanning over 140 years, the Forces Employment Charity have helped hundreds of thousands of veterans to transition into meaningful employment after service. And their goal is simple: to help veterans and their families build successful civilian careers by linking them with employers who understand and appreciate military skills.

Once you sign up, an adviser gets in touch to talk through your requirements, career goals and aspirations. From there, you decide how often you want support. Everything is flexible and led by you.

The service is completely free for all veterans and family members, and it’s available throughout your working career.

What you can get

Op ASCEND provides practical, hands‑on support to help you move into a new career with confidence. This includes:

CV and interview preparation

Tailored advice to help you translate your military experience into civilian language and stand out to employers.

Guidance on entering new industries

Specialist advisers can talk you through how to break into high‑demand sectors such as energy, professional services, manufacturing, construction ad tech roles.

Tips for navigating veteran‑friendly recruitment

Many employers run schemes designed specifically for veterans. Op ASCEND helps you understand how they work and how to make the most of them.

Access to employment pathway events

Meet employers face‑to‑face, explore opportunities and build connections.

Who can use Op ASCEND?

It’s a life-long service that is fully funded by the UK government and delivered by the Forces Employment Charity. This means it’s free to all clients, open to all veterans of the UK armed forces and family members who left service more than 2 years ago.

If you left service less than 2 years ago, you should engage with the Career Transition Partnership as part of your resettlement package instead.

What you’ll need when signing up

The registration process is simple. When signing up, you’ll need to confirm your or your ex-service family member’s:

name
service (and service number)
rank
enlistment date
discharge date

If exact dates are unclear, you can enter an approximate month or date – that’s absolutely fine.

Once registered, an adviser will get in touch to discuss your circumstances and agree how you want to engage with the service.

Why Op ASCEND matters

Your time in the armed forces gave you skills that employers value deeply: leadership, teamwork, resilience, problem‑solving and the ability to get things done under pressure.

But translating those strengths into a new career path can be a challenge. Op ASCEND helps bridge that gap, giving you practical tools, confidence and direct access to employers who know the worth of military experience.

Whether you’re unsure where to start or ready to aim for something completely new, Op ASCEND can support you in your career journey.

Real stories

Op ASCEND has helped thousands of veterans and their families learn new skills and find successful, fulfilling civilian careers after service. Here are the stories of some of them.