CTP Success: Supporting Paul Whillis on his resettlement journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 01/03/2022
Paul Whillis left the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel having served for more than 19 years. After reflecting on his career and situation, Paul decided it was time for a change, and was delighted to receive comprehensive resettlement support from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
"While I enjoyed working with my fellow soldiers and have had a great time in the Army, I wanted to try something new and seek fresh challenges."
Resettlement
Once registered with the CTP, Paul attended:
- a 3-day Career Transition Workshop (CTW)
- a CTP-provided Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) workshop
- a Lean6Sigma Level 5 Certificate in Service Improvement training course
- a Management of Risk training course
All of which helped to ensure he was in the best possible position to successfully transition from the Armed Forces into civilian life:
"I attended a CTW and found all the content to be superb, especially the CV development and interview techniques sections. The FAR workshop then provided a useful recap and confirmation of my existing understanding.
I also attended Lean6Sigma and Management of Risk training courses – both of which were excellent."
When asked about further elements of his support, Paul cites his CTP Career Consultant and the CTP website as being particularly valuable:
"Annette was a great source of ongoing support and offered regular CV reviews and interview tips – invaluable."
The CTP’s online job portal, RightJob offered a good service, despite there not being too many opportunities available in the North East of England. And then MyPlan was very useful in helping me order my thoughts.
Successful Outcome
Paul is now an Executive Business Consultant for Waterstons Ltd, an opportunity he seized through networking at a lecture:
"I became interested in Waterstons while looking for work in June 2021. The same month, I was asked to give a lecture at Henley Business School. I became aware that the talent scout for Waterstons was in the audience, and asked the organisers to sit us together at the post-lecture meal. We got on well, and I submitted a CV and letter to the company later that week; beating 200 or so applicants to secure the role.
"I’m now utilising many of the transferable skills from my time in the Army, including communication, problem analysis and thinking creatively about solutions. My previous training and qualifications are all serving me well, especially Prince2, MSP, TOGAF, Lean6Sigma and all the leadership experience I’ve accrued since 2004. The courses I attended through the CTP have also proven invaluable."
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Paul goes on to say:
"Network, even if you find it uncomfortable. I’m rubbish at it, and yet it got me the job!"
Click here to find out more about the extensive range of training courses the CTP can offer you.