History of the program

In March 2015, the former NSW Premier, Mike Baird, made a commitment to establish a program to help an additional 200 veterans find suitable, sustainable and meaningful employment within the NSW Government Sector by 2019. The Veterans Employment Program (VEP) was then launched at Parliament House on 5 May 2016. VEP reported in November 2018 that 831 veterans have either found work or been offered a new role in the public service – far exceeding the initial target.

VEP sits within the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs and was the first of its kind for government in Australia. With extensive inter-agency collaboration, the program is leading the way in employment initiatives to support veterans.

From 01 October 2018 to 30 September 2022, the program exceeded their goal of employing 1000 veterans, with 1626 veterans employed within the first 4 years from launching the program.

From November 2022 VEP are working towards a new target to help an additional 2000 veterans to find work by 2026.

Developing the Veterans Employment Program (VEP)

To develop the VEP, the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs led research to analyse how Australian Defence Force (ADF) employees’ skills and experience match those required for public sector jobs.

This comprehensive research found that ADF skills and experience are highly transferrable to government workplaces across a broad range of fields. There are roles in NSW Government to cater to all levels of skill and experience, ranging from entry level to executive positions. 

With approximately 1,200 people separating from the ADF in NSW each year, the NSW Government is committed to capitalising on this large and highly skilled recruitment pool.

The Rank to Grade Guide

VEP developed the Rank to Grade Guide to assist hiring managers and veterans to understand how ADF skills and experience align with roles within the NSW Government.