Harper Adams University
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Harper Adams University will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Harper Adams University recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
We also pledge the following:

-Promoting the university as an armed forces friendly organisation by including the covenant logo on our web pages -Ensuring that the web pages includes signposting for service leavers with respect to the university’s acceptance of enhanced learning credits (ELC) and sources of further information and guidance on admissions processes for undergraduates and postgraduate programmes and short courses -Endeavouring to attend CTP events to engage service leavers, veterans and military families with opportunities for education and employment at the university -Advertising vacancies as appropriate with the CTP in addition to the university’s usual arrangements for advertising of staff vacancies -Providing the university’s community with opportunities to demonstrate their support of the work of the armed services, by holding a remembrance day event on campus annually and ensuring students represent the university at local remembrance Sunday events -Arranging events for local reserve forces to meet students and present information on the opportunities for students who choose to join the reserve forces while studying -Enabling the officer training corps and university air squadron to present their programme of activities to students during the annual induction week for new students by ensuring that attendance at this students’ union led event is free of charge for all military units (MTUs) -Arranging on campus opportunities for students to engage with careers in the armed forces through engagement with the university’s careers and placement events throughout the year including provision of selection and assessment centre practice sessions run by service personnel -Advertising opportunities to all staff and students such as Midlands challenge or similar leadership training events offered by the armed forces services to local employers and organisations -Engaging with the work of the military education committee and the MTUs

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.