A MAJOR event is being staged for personnel at the biggest Army garrison in Europe in preparation for the thousands of soldiers expected to leave the Armed Forces as budget cuts bite.

The career transition and networking event at the Scotch Corner Hotel will aim to help past and present servicemen and women based at Catterick Garrison to return to civilian life.

Organised by the British Forces Resettlement Services, the event, on Thursday, between 10.30am and 3.30pm, will help people to access support services and also give advice on finding employment and interview skills.

The event follows the Government’s strategic defence review, where it was revealed that defence spending will fall by eight per cent over the next four years.

More than 7,000 jobs are due to be lost from the Army, 5,000 jobs each from the Royal Navy and the RAF, as well as 25,000 civilian jobs at the Ministry of Defence.

Catterick Garrison is currently home to more than 18,000 service personnel and their families and is unlikely to escape the cuts.

Veterans already receive support from a number of charities and service organisations, but many do struggle to return to civvy street, especially after a long period in the Armed Forces.

More than 40 exhibitors have already booked stands for the resettlement event, including companies such as British Gas, Amec, Civvy Street, Yorkshire Water, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Drivers Direct.

The event will also include practical sessions in areas such as CV writing and interview skills, where common mistakes can make the transition to civilian life more difficult.

Neil Dean, business manager at the British Forces Resettlement Service, said: “We offer practical advice and support for those who have either left the Forces or are thinking of doing so.

“The strategic defence review has brought the issue into sharper focus for many. There will be thousands of highly skilled ex-Forces personnel entering the jobs market over the next few years, many of whom don’t realise the benefits their skills can bring to civilian employers.”

Col Nick Millen, commander of Catterick Garrison, said: “Although a somewhat daunting prospect in some regards, the completion of one’s military service is in an opportunity too. The key to exploiting this opportunity to its best effect is to be properly prepared.

“For some it will no doubt be a wake up call, for others it will help widen their horizons and broaden their opportunities, or perhaps simply provide advice.”

A spokesman for the Soldiers’, Sailors’, Airmen’s and Families’ Association said the organisation was pointing a number of former servicemen to the event.

He added: “No matter how short a time someone has been in the Army, they will get a resettlement briefing when they leave, but whether they listen to that is another matter.

“There is plenty of support for veterans out there, but they have to come and ask for it.”