CTP Success: Supporting Cameron Smith on his resettlement journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 01/05/2020
Background
Cameron Smith left the Army as a Rifleman in 2018 after serving for nearly 8 years. After taking stock of his career and personal life, he decided to transition from the military into civilian life and registered for resettlement on the CTP Assist programme delivered by the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
"I left the Service for multiple reasons – many of them personal, which led me to decide that a career in the Service was no longer best for me."
Resettlement
Cameron worked closely with his CTP Assist Specialist Employment Consultant (SEC) with the aim to find a high-salaried job in a short period of time. This was a conscious decision and key driver for Cameron due to his own circumstances.
He also made use of the CTP’s online resources and tools including their job portal, RightJob, which he used to explore the employment options available to him and cites it as being a useful tool. When asked about what other CTP resources he found valuable, Cameron explains his SEC Melanie Vaughan was immensely helpful:
"My SEC assisted me with job searching and kept me informed and up to date with any new job updates. She always drew my attention to any workshops that were available in case I decided to attend one."
Cameron’s praise for Melanie didn’t stop there though:
"Melanie has been nothing but brilliant throughout my transition. My situation was always difficult due to the nature of leaving the Forces and the timescales we were up against. I quickly secured employment thanks to my SEC sending me notifcations of the vacancy (along with many other roles).
"She helped me apply for the role. However, I realised quite quickly that the role wasn’t for me and found myself unemployed at Christmas of the same year. Melanie was there straight away from me to engage with and supported me with my job search once again."
Successful Outcome
Cameron is now a Paramedic within the NHS; a role he found through his current partner, who highlighted to Cameron just how suitable he was to the position thanks to his experience.
After training as a trainee paramedic, Cameron is now a fully qualified paramedic and enjoys the unpredictability and fast-paced nature of the job. He often has to arrive on scene of an incident and take control of the situation, regularly acting as the senior/lead clinician guiding other clinicians and emergency care assistants on what actions to take.
When asked about the main challenges he faced when settling in, Cameron states that adjusting to the pace and sensitivity of most situations was challenging. It’s also a role of constant education where he’s expected to develop his own clinical ability and knowledge through experience.
Cameron recommends the role of Paramedic to other Service leavers, as he’s found that working with his crew members to come with a sense of camaraderie, similar to that of the military.
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Cameron goes on to say:
"My best advice to others is to have an open mind when resettling. Many ex-Service personnel enter the Ambulance Service and I can see why. It’s a great career for ex-military personnel and I’d strongly recommend it. Utilise the support from the CTP and work hard to secure your future!"