John Deere has seen an influx of applications to its Military Hiring Programme after hosting a special event for members of the UK's armed forces.
The event, held at the firm's UK HQ in Nottinghamshire, gave military service personnel a look at what the next stage of their career could look like.
John Deere's military resettlement programme offers new career opportunities working on some of the world’s most advanced agricultural products.
Members of the armed forces have been identified as ideal candidates to bring their unique skill sets and experience to technician roles within UK dealerships.
Many military service personnel have already worked with systems and products similar to those used by agricultural machinery firms.
Those who enrol onto the programme are put into contact with an individual from the John Deere network who have resettled themselves.
Allan Cochran, branch training manager for John Deere, said: “What was really successful about the day was the amount of conversation between military personnel and dealers.
“Everybody wanted to talk, everybody wanted to engage with the event, and I think everyone that was there, both military and dealers, got something out of it.”
The event drew a number of applications to the Military Hiring Programme, with 23 ex-servicemen now waiting for the next step to start their new career with John Deere.
The programme has drawn interest from across the country, with attendees travelling from not just the surrounding Midlands, but also from as far as Cornwall and Scotland.
“To have people coming from all the country is really great to see,” explained Mr Cochran.
“We have dealers in all corners of the nation, and with the largest proportion of people wanting to resettle wherever they are based now, we can make that happen.”
As well as dealers and staff, attendees also had the opportunity to listen to those who had been through the programme themselves and were now a part of the dealership network.
Ex-servicemen Martin Frodsham, Will Foster and Mike Rogers spoke about their journey and what their career has been like since leaving the armed forces.
Attendees also heard from instructors who showed them the machines that they would be working on should they apply to join, with a focus on precision agriculture.
