Nicholas Harrison identified the need for someone to help place wounded service personnel into employment during eight years as an executive headhunter. "It became clear to me that when you are a serving soldier your welfare is second to none but when you leave the service and start the transition into civilian life there is a massive gap," he says.

The purpose of Soldier On is to bridge that divide but, says Harrison, it is also to champion the cause of the many wounded servicemen and women—between October 2001 and March 2009, 3,500 were seriously wounded while on operation. "The aim is to help them find meaningful employment and self-sufficient futures," he says. "Most of the people who leave the services can look after themselves very well, but there is a high amount who have acquired some form of disability or injury serving their country, who will find it a lot harder to look for a job."

Through Soldier On, Harrison is offering ex-service personnel a three-step plan consisting of preparation, placement and support. "We are a small organisation, but we rely on a network of chief executives of headhunting organisations and recruitment consultants specialising in their individual sector or geographical area," he says.

Soldier On helps candidates to write CVs, prepare for interviews and find out what they wish to do. The next step is finding a suitable placement, which ideally will lead to a fulfilling career and life. The support goes on for as long as the candidate is in employment. "This is a tailored approach, there is no timescale," says Harrison. "We have got disabled individuals who have clearly demonstrated that you can get to the top of your tree in anything you choose if you have the drive and the tenacity," he adds.

Harrison says 10 per cent of ex-service people end up in the criminal justice system. And former services personnel account for more than 20 per cent of the homeless. "By giving people reason to get out of bed, Soldier On can act as a preventative to that downward spiral."

Many clients view the link with Soldier On as a chance to get involved on a CSR level. "It is a win-win situation; the candidate gets a job and the benefits that go with it, and the client gets a capable member of staff," says Harrison. "Clients need to be guided. If they have an amputee the candidate may have to go for treatment every Thursday. I am not going to lie—you are taking on people who by their nature have problems, but problems they are trying to overcome."

Soldier On launched officially last month, and the charity needs funding. "We are looking for seed capital and for corporate sponsors," says Harrison. "We will need in the region of £160,000 a year to cover operational costs."

The model on which the charity is built means that for each candidate placed, the client will pay a placement fee as a donation, recommended to be around 10 per cent of first-year salary.

Harrison says he wants to open people's minds to the variety of skills within the services—the army alone offers more than 150 different trades.