Twenty Silver ERS employers Wales awarded in 2026

Key Points

• Twenty Welsh organisations received the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award for 2026.
• The awards were presented at a special event in Cardiff on Friday 17 July, accompanied by a Royal Gun Salute.
• The 20 Welsh winners are among 331 employers recognised nationally with the Silver ERS Award in 2026.
• To achieve Silver, employers must show practical workplace policies that prevent unfair disadvantage to the Armed Forces community and raise awareness across their workforce.
• The full list of Welsh Silver winners includes businesses, public bodies and community organisations such as Tata Steel UK, NHS Wales Shared Services and South Wales Police.
• The scheme has three levels Bronze, Silver and Gold reflecting pledge, demonstration and advocacy of support under the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Defence Relationship Managers for North and South Wales are available to advise employers on joining the scheme.

Wales (Wales Times) July 23, 2026 – Twenty of Wales’ top forces-friendly employers have been honoured with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award for 2026, in celebrations marked by a Royal Gun Salute. The organisations, drawn from across the country, were recognised at a special ceremony in uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff on Friday 17 July for implementing practical policies that support serving personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers and their families. The Welsh recipients form part of a UK-wide cohort of 331 employers awarded the Silver ERS this year, according to Ministry of Defence announcements.

What is the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award?

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) is a Ministry of Defence programme that formally recognises employers who support the Armed Forces community through the Armed Forces Covenant. The scheme operates at three levels: Bronze, for organisations that pledge support; Silver, for those that demonstrate support through concrete workplace policies; and Gold, for employers that advocate and exceed baseline requirements.

As outlined in official guidance, to achieve the Silver ERS Award, organisations must proactively demonstrate that the Armed Forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruitment policies. They must also actively ensure their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards Defence people issues for reservists, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers, and spouses and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces. The aim is to embed forces-friendly practices in day-to-day operations rather than treating support as a one-off gesture.

Who received the 2026 Silver ERS Award in Wales?

The 20 Welsh organisations awarded the Silver ERS for 2026 were announced alongside the national list of 331 recipients. According to coverage by Business News Wales, the winners are:

• Aberafan Shopping Centre
• Albert & Flaherty Ltd
• Conjay Collectors Ammunition Ltd
• Delivery Solutions (DELSOL) Ltd
• Female Veterans Alliance CIC
• Genuine JayJays Ltd
• Gus Periscopes Limited
• HF Owen Transport & Storage Limited
• Mental Health Matters Wales
• NHS Wales Shared Services
• Oceaneering International Ltd
• Premier Compliance
• Protectoseal Ltd
• Redberth Croft CIC
• South Wales Police
• Stable Resources Ltd
• Tactical Medical Rescue Ltd
• Tata Steel UK
• Wrexham Lager Beer Company Limited
• Wynne Construction

These employers span retail, manufacturing, logistics, health, policing, construction, and community and veteran-focused organisations, reflecting the breadth of sectors engaging with the Armed Forces community in Wales.

How were the 20 Welsh Silver ERS winners celebrated?

Representatives from the 20 receiving organisations were presented with their awards at a special event in Cardiff on Friday 17 July. The ceremony was accompanied by a Royal Gun Salute, underscoring the significance of the recognition within the wider national programme. As reported in coverage of the event, the 20 Welsh winners were invited to receive their award as honoured guests while the salute was fired, marking the culmination of their efforts to meet the Silver criteria.

One recipient described the award as a privilege, stating: “It is a privilege to be one of only 20 organizations in Wales to be awarded the Defence Employer Recognition scheme in 2026.” The event highlighted both the achievements of individual employers and Wales’ contribution to the UK-wide total of 331 Silver ERS recipients in 2026.

What must employers do to win the Silver ERS Award?

To win the Silver ERS Award, employers must move beyond a simple pledge and show evidence of practical, sustained support. According to Ministry of Defence criteria summarised in official and media reports, Silver-level employers must:

• Proactively demonstrate that the Armed Forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged in recruitment policies.
• Actively ensure their workforce is aware of positive policies towards Defence people issues, covering reservists, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers, and spouses and partners of those serving.
• Implement practical workplace policies that reflect these commitments, such as supportive HR processes and internal communications.

This contrasts with the Bronze level, which focuses on signing up to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, and the Gold level, which requires additional measures such as providing at least 10 days’ additional paid leave for reservists each year and actively promoting the Covenant to other employers.

How does the Silver ERS fit into the wider UK picture?

The 20 Welsh Silver ERS winners are part of a larger national cohort. The Ministry of Defence has announced that 331 organisations across the UK achieved the Defence ERS Silver Award for 2026. This places the Welsh recipients within a competitive field, with only a small fraction of applying employers reaching Silver in any given year.

In parallel, other Welsh employers have been recognised at Gold level in 2026, with eight organisations in Wales among 162 UK-wide Gold recipients. This indicates a tiered landscape in which some employers progress from Bronze to Silver and then to Gold as their support deepens and becomes more embedded.

Background to the 2026 Silver ERS developments in Wales

The Employer Recognition Scheme has been running for more than a decade, with the Gold award now in its 12th year as of 2026. The scheme is designed to encourage employers to sign the Armed Forces Covenant and then move through Bronze, Silver and Gold as they deepen their support. In recent years, Wales has seen multiple cohorts of Bronze, Silver and Gold recipients, with annual ceremonies in Cardiff and outreach from Defence Relationship Managers in North and South Wales.

In 2025, for example, 17 employers across Wales were awarded the Silver ERS, according to employer statements shared on professional networks. The increase to 20 Silver recipients in 2026 suggests continued growth in engagement, with more organisations formalising forces-friendly policies and seeking recognition through the scheme. Contact points for employers remain in place, with Defence Relationship Managers Craig Middle (South Wales) and Tony Fish (North Wales) listed as advisors for organisations considering joining the scheme or progressing through the levels.

Predictions: How could this development affect employers and the Armed Forces community in Wales?

The recognition of 20 Welsh employers with the Silver ERS in 2026 is likely to influence both the employer landscape and the experiences of the Armed Forces community in Wales. For employers, the award provides a benchmark for forces-friendly practice and a visible signal to jobseekers, partners and clients that they take their Covenant commitments seriously. As more organisations in Wales achieve Silver, there may be increased pressure on peers in the same sectors to adopt similar policies in order to remain competitive in recruitment, particularly for roles where reservists, veterans and military families are over-represented.

For the Armed Forces community in Wales, the growth in Silver-level employers could translate into more consistent access to supportive workplaces, clearer HR policies for reservists, and greater awareness among managers and colleagues of military-related leave and commitments. Over time, if a significant number of Silver employers progress to Gold, the availability of enhanced provisions such as additional paid leave for reservists could become more widespread, potentially improving retention of reservists in civilian jobs and easing transitions for veterans entering or re-entering the labour market. However, the impact will depend on how effectively these policies are implemented in practice and whether awareness reaches frontline managers and HR teams across the recipient organisations.