Building bridges: Collaboration for social value in the defence ecosystem
Ben Tucker
Social Value Manager, QinetiQ
The government’s announcement to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP has been grabbing headlines recently, alongside stories about cutting-edge defence technologies, including the DragonFire laser programme. This poses the question, ‘How can the defence sector deliver innovative technologies whilst also benefitting local communities?’ This is a question that those in the defence sector consider daily. We often experience unique challenges when delivering social value that others within the Tech space may not encounter.
We just can't talk about a lot of what we do. We do amazing things to support keeping the country safe, but we can’t showcase these to inspire a classroom of students. Security considerations and geographical locations provide barriers to delivering traditional work experience. The voluntary and charity community traditionally doesn’t offer the services and materials the sector seeks to procure. The Armed Forces communities also have unique barriers – often moving every two to three years, often in rural communities, and usually have specific well-being needs.
But these barriers aren’t a reason not to deliver. There is a thriving community within the Defence sector that is committed to delivering Social Value—from large primes to brilliant VCSEs—and looking to innovate, collaborate, and support one another to achieve meaningful impact.
Social Value is at the heart of everything we do here at QinetiQ. We are a company of passionate people committed to giving back, and we embrace the opportunity to leverage this across our customer work. I love working with project teams as we develop a technical solution and consider how we can achieve the best result. This can involve using the greenest tech available, working with our supply chain to develop skills in niche areas, or looking at how we can partner with amazing VCSEs to provide impact.
Inspiring the next generation
Cyber Security is a burgeoning field—in 2023, there were over 136,000 cyber jobs across the whole economy, and the demand for it is only set to continue rising. However, career pathways often lack visibility, technical roles are hard to fill, and the workforce is only 17% female.
QinetiQ has partnered with the UK’s largest social mobility charity, “Speakers for Schools” (to be rebranded Futures for All in September 2025), to deliver virtual work experience that gives real-life insights into the field.
"Virtual work experience has proven to be an incredibly effective way to inspire and educate the next generation about careers within Cyber Security. Through our partnership with QinetiQ, we've provided real-world insights to young people across the UK—many of whom wouldn’t have had access to such opportunities otherwise. The overwhelmingly positive feedback showed that these sessions build confidence, develop key skills, and open doors to exciting career pathways. We’re proud to work alongside QinetiQ to make cyber careers more visible, accessible, and inclusive.” Ian Cooper – Head of National Business Development
“I liked hearing about what QinetiQ does and the different insights of what the people working there do and what they had to do to get into that field. I found these both informative and interesting, and they helped me develop my thoughts on what I want to do in the future and what I need to do to be successful within that.” Student attendee
In 2024, QinetiQ sessions benefitted over 600 young people, with outreach activities delivered focusing particularly on inspiring girls into cyber and targeting those in rural and coastal areas.
Alongside this, QinetiQ runs a range of other social value outreach programmes—from delivering CyberFirst Advanced courses in partnership with CyberFirst to being an Apex Partner of the In4 Group in the Northwest to delivering capture-the-flag events for girls across the West Midlands with Aston University.
Supporting the Military Community
Service families face various barriers, but one group often missed is the serving personnel's partners. The typical family moves every 2-3 years, requiring a spouse to navigate new communities, rebuild social connections, and reinvent their professional identities and careers within new local economies. Therefore, it is no surprise that this community faces an unemployment rate of approximately 30% - significantly higher than the national average of 4.4%.
QinetiQ has partnered with the Recruit for Spouses (RFS) Career Academy Community Interest Company to support the training and skills development needs of the Armed Forces Community. The organisation is run by a team of passionate and dedicated military spouses focused on helping service personnel, veterans, and their families.
Together, they created the “Demystifying Defence” programme to boost spouses' confidence and prepare them for the next step. The programme, designed by and for the military spouse community, includes sessions on transferable skills, LinkedIn usage, CV masterclasses, and mock interviews. In 12 months, 13 skills, training, and mock interview sessions are being delivered, benefitting hundreds of spouses and their families.
“Thank you to the team this morning for the time they have given me. This was my first interview in over 24 years! The support and encouragement I received, and helpful information is amazing! I'm in awe! Thank you so much for this opportunity that you have given me! I'm very grateful!” - Bella Piacenti, military spouse
“What our spouses need is experience in the workplace and to regain their confidence in employment,” said Ella Cartwright-Terry, Career Academy Lead, in early summer 2024. QinetiQ responded by creating a work placement programme for the armed forces community. The fully paid 10-week placement attracted significant interest from military spouses, allowing successful candidates to gain work experience at QinetiQ, build confidence, network within the business, and learn new skills.
“This placement has meant so much to me. The experience has boosted my confidence—not only in practical skills but also my belief in myself” - Liz Mudge, 2025 Placement
“Military spouses are resourceful, resilient, and highly capable individuals with a wealth of skills often overlooked by employers.” Continued Ella Cartwright-Terry, “However, these individuals frequently face prejudice when seeking employment, driven by misconceptions about the military lifestyle.
RFS exists to change this perception. We are dedicated to championing military spouses, recognising the vast talent within this community and providing vital support in areas such as mental wellbeing, employment, and recruitment. Our aim is to create opportunities for military spouses to build their confidence and thrive, both personally and professionally.
Through collaboration with forward-thinking organisations like QinetiQ, we can leverage our collective expertise to develop tailored initiatives that have a lasting impact. By doing so, we empower military spouses to fully realise their potential and make valuable contributions to the workforce.”
Summary
Regardless of the barriers we face, I see a positive future for social and economic impact that will be achieved with the Defence and Security sector. As an industry we are a fantastic catalyst to deliver impact, spread prosperity, and drive economic growth. And we will continue to do this together, in collaboration with partners, customers, VCSEs and communities to have impact at the heart of everything we do.
