24th March 2026

A regional voice on a national stage: Esh champions the Armed Forces at Westminster

When Social Value Manager Kate Marshall travelled to London to represent Esh Construction at the House of Lords, it marked an important moment for the business and the Armed Forces community it supports.

Kate joined industry leaders, veterans’ organisations and policymakers at the Armed Forces Special Interest Group Reception in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, hosted by Baroness Garden of Frognal. The event, coordinated by The 5% Club, brought national attention to the work being delivered across the UK to support service leavers, cadets, reservists, and military families.

Here Kate discusses the reception at Westminster, why Armed Forces support matters to her work, and how Esh and other employers can help create opportunities for people transitioning beyond military life.

Since I joined Esh in 2021, I’ve been a keen advocate for supporting Armed Forces personnel and Esh’s commitment to the Armed Forces reflects its wider ethos of creating opportunities, raising aspirations and providing inclusive pathways into employment. We have been a Gold Award holder of the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) now since 2023, supporting cadets, reservists, families and spouses through flexible working policies, additional paid leave for training commitments and dedicated support where unexpected changes in circumstances arise.

Esh also works with Launchpad, the Career Transition Partnership and the North of England Reserve Forces’ and Cadets Association (RFCA) to provide mentorship and guidance, work placement opportunities and signposting to vacancies, while our Soldiers to Site initiative offers hands-on, flexible industry experience that helps participants transfer their skills into a new sector with confidence.

The reception at the House of Lords marked the formal introduction of the Special Interest Group, which was established to bring employers together to share best practice and develop collective solutions. I was involved from the outset, about 12 months ago, by participating in early discussions with fellow Gold Award employers across multiple sectors and joining members from The 5% Club, to focus on creating clearer employment pathways for priority groups such as early service leavers, cadets, reservists and military families.

What we realised very quickly was that so many organisations were already doing great things – we just needed to bring this work together. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we looked at how existing programmes could be adapted to reach the people who need them most. And for Esh, that’s where our Soldiers to Sites programme fits perfectly.

Soldiers to Site is our tailored transition programme which is designed to support service leavers who may be considering a career in construction. It helps service leavers understand civilian employment, explore roles across construction, and build confidence by experiencing live site activity, shadowing project teams, exploring office‑based roles, and receiving practical support with CVs, applications and networking. The programme ensures each individual leaves with a positive destination, whether that’s a role within Esh, our supply chain, employment in another sector, or even further study.

I was surprised to find I was the only business representative from the North East in a room of more than 100 attendees, but it gave me a renewed sense of purpose. Not only did it allow us to showcase the meaningful work being driven from within a regional contractor – work built on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the Forces community, but it highlighted to me just how much more impact we could make in the North East and Yorkshire regions with wider businesses’ backing.

There’s a perception that organisations like ours are small players on a national stage. But what stood out was how often Esh’s approach resonated – because it’s practical, genuine and rooted in real outcomes. Sometimes leadership isn’t about size, but about substance.

My own experiences have naturally shaped my passion to canvas for wider support. As a former Forces spouse, I could relate as Baroness Garden shared her struggles of building a career while navigating military life. It really resonated with me; people don’t always understand the sacrifices made by spouses and families. That lived experience is why I feel so strongly about giving others the support they need.

In addressing the reception, I was able to explain how Esh’s Soldiers to Site programme has supported a diverse mix of participants and it was important to highlight to those present about the pitfalls service leavers face after joining the Armed Forces at a young age. Our team sees these outcomes every day.

Some people join the military at 16 or 18. They end up leaving having never applied for a civilian job, never writing a CV and they need support to navigate the civilian world for the first time. Watching someone go from overwhelmed to confident is the real impact that Soldiers to Site carries.

In attending the parliamentary reception, our group had key aims – not only did we want to raise the profile of the focus group, but we wanted to encourage more employers to take action and join the initiative. We had a receptive ear and being able to share Esh’s experience on how we can capture the impact of employing service leavers through social value channels was brilliant.

For us the story is simple; even if we don’t directly employ someone afterwards, we make sure they leave us with skills, knowledge and a real opportunity. Through our Soldiers to Site programme, Esh has already delivered 71 placement days; we’ve completed two placements this year alone, and we are in the process of organising a further three opportunities. I think our group left London buoyed by a clear, collective approach to uniting employers, educators and the Government to shape a stronger, fairer, future for the Armed Forces community.

Esh took its seat at a national table as a regional business. Being part of the conversation was a real honour, but our reward comes in seeing how far a single placement, a week on site, or a conversation can take someone. That’s why Esh is committed to doing this – and why we’ll continue to champion the Armed Forces community at every level.

Find out more about our Armed Forces support - Armed Forces | Esh Group