Some UK veterans can face difficulties finding employment when returning to civilian life, but one ex-soldier wants to help them get back in the driving seat.

“Take your time, compose yourself, check your mirrors.”

Darren Wright is training a new recruit to become an HGV driver. Many of the people that sit alongside him have something in common – they are all ex-military. The 46-year-old has been running Veterans into Logistics, a not-for-profit organisation in Greater Manchester, for 19 months.

“We get veterans who are struggling to find employment,” he says. “We reach out to them, we put our [arms] around them and we support them into becoming HGV drivers.”

Government figures published in 2017 show that of 952,000 veterans of working age, 28,000 were unemployed.

Darren says there is a lack of support for those who leave the armed forces without a trade or skill. Many he encounters are battling with low confidence or have mental health problems.

“They put a lot of trust in me,” he says. “I can talk to them and go, ‘Listen mate, I’ve been there, I know what it’s like, but trust me, let’s get you trained up, let’s get you a job.’”

Growing up on a council estate in north Manchester, Darren left school without any qualifications or many prospects. He joined the Army at 23 and served as a gunner and paratrooper in 21 Battery, 47 Regiment, Royal Artillery for five years. He did a tour of Afghanistan and was discharged in 2004 suffering undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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