Recognizing the Work of our Reservists

Across the globe, Jacobs’ armed forces veterans and reservists bring diverse and complimentary experience to the business, from strong organizational and project management skills, to logistics and engineering capability.

The U.K’s Reserves Day on June 27, 2018 is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the important role that Reservists play in supporting the U.K.’s defense capability, providing significant support to the U.K. above and beyond their day jobs. At Jacobs, we’re proud of the valuable contribution that our Reservists bring to their roles in and out of the workplace. Many will be wearing their uniforms at work to mark the day and help raise awareness of their contribution, the opportunities to become a Reservist, and the diversity of perspective and shared learning that they bring to the civilian workplace. 

We have a long-established relationship with the U.K. Armed Forces, having supported the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for over 30 years. In 2016, Jacobs received an award from the MOD for our support and commitment to the U.K. Armed Forces. The award is part of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), which recognizes organizations that demonstrate or advocate support to defense and the armed forces community, and have values aligned with the U.K. Armed Forces Covenant. We have a number of initiatives in place to support the U.K. Armed Forces community, including supporting employees’ annual reservist training and commitments, forums to share experiences, and development & secondment opportunities.

When Jacobs Director of Logistics and Army Reserve Officer Tim Brent was mobilized to join the British Government’s response to Hurricane Irma, Tim experienced first-hand the logistics required to assemble the effort. A huge number of residents and tourists were affected when the hurricane wreaked a trail of devastation across the Caribbean in September last year. Three of the British Overseas Territories; the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, were particularly badly hit with houses destroyed, electricity cut off, and ports and airfields damaged.

During the mobilization, Tim was deployed to help analyze critical priorities to re-establish the infrastructure, including the immediate support of hospitals, food distribution nodes, energy plants, airports and other infrastructure. After the immediate recovery phase, Tim supported the U.K. Task Force in developing a long-term strategy.

Commenting on his experience, Tim said: “Industry has a lot to offer in circumstances like this, providing expertise and best practice to support a coherent path to recovery. I’m glad I was able to contribute in an effective way as part of a great team, and I was extremely humbled by the efforts of the local population as they began the process of reconstructing their devastated islands.”

Following his deployment, Tim has been invited to participate in several post-operation learning sessions to highlight the value of this industry reach-back and to explore how mobilization for reservists from industry can be streamlined.