Forces to fuses: why ex-military personnel are powering Britain’s Net Zero push

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• More than 13,000 people left the Armed Forces in the past year, many bringing highly transferable skills into careers like engineering, utilities and home services.

• Yet just 11% of Brits associate veterans with home services and only 10% with utilities, despite these being sectors they increasingly move into.

• 89% say military skills are transferable to civilian jobs with 81% agreeing veterans bring valuable technical skills to the workplace.

• British Gas owner Centrica has hired nearly 500 people through its Armed Forces Pathway since 2021, valuing the skills veterans bring to engineering and infrastructure.

As the country marks Armed Forces Week, new research from British Gas reveals a gap between what the public thinks veterans do after service and the reality of where their skills are now in demand. With more than 13,000 people leaving the Armed Forces in the past year, the findings suggest outdated perceptions could be obscuring the role former personnel are already playing in keeping the nation’s homes warm and helping power the transition to Net Zero.

That perception sits at odds with the value Brits say veterans offer, and with what British Gas sees every day. Almost nine in ten (89%) believe skills learned in the military are transferable to everyday civilian jobs and industries, 81% agree ex-military personnel bring valuable technical skills into civilian industries, and more than three quarters (78%) say the UK would benefit from more employers actively recruiting former service personnel. That belief is reflected in the approach British Gas has taken.

Through the Centrica Armed Forces Pathway, nearly 500 former service personnel have joined since 2021 in roles spanning engineering, field operations and major infrastructure. Their work underpins everything from boiler repairs and smart meter installations through to the heat pumps and low-carbon technology central to the UK's Net Zero goals.

Despite moving into a wide range of civilian careers, former military personnel are still most commonly associated with roles in uniform. Security (65%), transport and logistics (38%) and policing (53%) topped the list. Far fewer pictured veterans in the technical and operational jobs the country increasingly relies on. Only a third (33%) named engineering, while only around one in ten thought of home services (11%) or utilities (10%).

When asked which military-honed skills are most valuable in the civilian workplace, the public pointed to the attributes prized on the front line of home services and engineering. Staying calm under pressure (68%), teamwork (67%), leadership (54%), technical problem-solving (46%) and adaptability (46%). More than half (54%) also agree that many ex-military personnel already have the skills required to help deliver the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.

Anthony Williams, British Gas engineer who served 12 years in the military: “When I left the forces I’d lost most of my hearing, and I wasn’t sure where I’d fit. But the things the military drills into you, staying calm when something goes wrong, working as a team, solving a problem with what’s in front of you, are exactly what you need going into someone’s home as an engineer.”

Amy Hayden, former RAF servicewoman and now Change Delivery Manager at British Gas, who joined through the Military and Athlete Pathway: "A lot of people leaving the forces feel they need to stay within MOD-facing roles or a similar environment, and those are brilliant careers. But there are businesses like Centrica out there that let you work towards a shared sense of purpose, just in a different context. I've found a whole new path in an industry that's helping the country reach Net Zero, and the discipline and adaptability you build in service translate into almost any role. Employers are starting to realise that the talent pool leaving the forces is exactly what they need."

British Gas is encouraging more employers to look beyond the obvious when it comes to veteran talent and is continuing to grow its own Armed Forces Pathway. To find out more about careers at British Gas, visit britishgas.co.uk.