Firebrand Frontfoot

“We care for our Armed Forces!” FrontFoot Life partner with Firebrand Training to help military, vets, and their families reskill for IT

Armed Forces support charity, FrontFoot Life and IT certification provider, Firebrand Training, part of the BPP Education Group, have teamed up to support the transition of serving military, vets, and their families into civilian roles. This will also help reduce the UK digital skills gap.

“Veterans are often underemployed or overlooked on the UK job market, where ‘a slick CV’ often wins the day,” stated FrontFoot Partner, Simon Kirrage. “Together, we aim to change that.”

FrontFoot Life was founded in 2020 by a group of ex-service-members and recruitment specialists with one goal in mind: back the military and their families beyond service, leaving no one behind.

FrontFoot provide training and support for a variety of concerns, from finance to mental health, to serving military, veterans, service leavers, reservists, and their families. Their career portal, FrontFoot Jobs, features vacancies, Armed Forces community candidates, and Forces-friendly employers to support career transition in a holistic manner. It provides a 12-month career support program guided by former service members who have successfully transitioned to civilian life.

Firebrand Training is a multi-award-winning IT certification provider part of the BPP Education Group. For the past 12 years in a row, they have been named one of the Top 20 IT Training Companies in the World and they recently became one of the few companies to be recognised as Microsoft Cloud Partner.

Firebrand have a track record of supporting the professional development of UK Armed and Police Forces. Firebrand Apprenticeships have an active pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant and have been accredited with a Bronze Award in the UK Government's Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. In addition, Firebrand have recently been appointed the official provider of Cyber Crime Training for police officers and staff throughout the UK by the NPCC National Cyber Crime Programme.

Firebrand specialise in accelerated certification courses from top IT vendors such as Microsoft, (ISC)2, ISACA, CompTIA, British Computer Society, and more, as well as IT Apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps in Digital. They’ve trained over 134,000 professionals to date and are the only UK Independent Training Provider specialised in Digital to be part of the WorldSkills UK Developing Excellence programme.

The partnership between FrontFoot and Firebrand will provide Armed Forces with a clear pathway to thriving careers with some of the largest names in IT.

The partnership will provide:

  • Specialised career paths to transition members’ unique skill sets and experience to Cyber Security and related fields;
  • Access to industry-recognised certifications to prove members’ professional credibility and help them stand out in today's competitive job market;
  • Access to high-quality training programmes that blend hands-on training, IT labs, and theoretical expertise;
  • Ongoing support and mentorship to help members navigate this challenging career change, fostering a strong sense of community that helps them thrive both personally and professionally.

“Veterans and service members bring unparalleled dedication, adaptability, and leadership skills to the table, which makes them invaluable assets to any organisation.

“Working together with Firebrand, we aim to ensure that our Armed Forces community can step into the world of IT with confidence, progressing to rewarding careers,” said FrontFoot Founder, Tim O’Keefe.

“One of our core values at Firebrand is Care. We genuinely care about our community, learners, and partners around the world and are thrilled to join forces with FrontFoot to empower UK service members to achieve their full potential. At Firebrand, as at FrontFoot, no one is left behind!” said Firebrand CEO, Ben Hansford.

Service members seeking new career opportunities can find out more here.