A POLITICIAN is calling on the Welsh Government to introduce 'guaranteed interviews' for armed forces veterans.

Darren Millar, Clwyd West Assembly Member and Chair Cross-Party Group on the Armed Forces and Cadets, has called on the Welsh Government to consider introducing ‘guaranteed interviews’ to help veterans access employment after leaving the military.

Questioning the First Minister in the Senedd last week, Darren said ’guaranteed interviews’ assist veterans in overcoming barriers to finding civilian employment and asked whether the Welsh Government would consider introducing them and promoting them more widely within the public sector.

He said: “One of the issues that was recently discussed at the Cross-Party Group on the Armed Forces and Cadets was the difficulty sometimes that many veterans face in trying to access employment once they have left their time in the military.

"One of the things that was raised at our meeting as something that perhaps the Welsh Government could consider is that in the United States, there are guaranteed interviews with some public sector employers so that veterans have the opportunity to at least present themselves directly to an employer.

“Is this something that the First Minister might consider for the Welsh Government, and promote more widely within the public sector in the future?”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “The idea of a guaranteed interview, in which people can at least make sure that they make their pitch and get their voices heard, is one that we've used in other parts of the Welsh Government.

"We've used it, for example, for people with disabilities to make sure that they can get in front of employers and so on.

"So, I'm very happy to take that idea away and have it discussed within that work on employment pathways and the employers' toolkit that we are already doing.”