Kate Durham's Resettlement Success
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 02/10/2023
Kate left the Royal Air Force in 2023 after serving for 21 years, as a result of a medical discharge:
“I was HR Personnel Ops, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and London. I specialised in all areas of HR including discipline, infrastructure management, senior conference co-ordination, communications and welfare.
"Following my medical discharge, my confidence was at an all-time low. The amount of information was overwhelming and not knowing what I could or wanted to do was extremely daunting. I felt I’d lost my identity and didn’t know where to turn.”
Resettlement
Once registered for her resettlement support with the CTP, Kate forged a strong relationship with her CTP Assist Specialist Employment Consultant, Lucy:
“Lucy was fantastic at networking and putting me in front of the right people, she built my confidence immensely. I would never have gone for the jobs she encouraged me to go for without her support. She also helped me find the right courses for what would suit me and my skillset best, and gave me the most invaluable advice.
"This is a very challenging time for anyone leaving military, but even more so when you have medical/personal issues to deal with. Lucy treated me like a person and not just a number, really listening to and advocating for me when I didn’t know what to do. She went above and beyond and I really appreciate all she did in helping me get where I am today. I would not be here if it wasn’t for her.”
Following the support of her CTP Assist SEC, Kate undertook some vocational training in order to best equip herself for a new career:
“I took the APM fundamentals and APM vocational training courses with the CTP – both of which helped me secure my job in Project Management.”
Successful Outcome
Kate is now a Project Manager with Mace:
“It’s changed my life, in a good way! After so many years in the RAF, it’s hard to see yourself doing anything else. I have really gained confidence and feel so much more relaxed and excited about my future.
"Mace provide an abundance of opportunities including overseas roles, promotion, and lateral moves in other PM roles – it’s all very exciting.”
Advice
As a final piece of advice to fellow Service leavers, Kate says:
“Really engage with your support, it’s there for you if you ask for it. If you need any extra support, again, don’t be afraid to ask. I was really struggling with my mental health and pushed for CTP Assist support, and I’m so glad I did.”