Supporting Ben Wordsworth on his resettlement journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 07/04/2021
Ben Wordsworth left the RAF as a Senior Aircraft Technician in 2014, having served for over 12 years. Following some tough decisions, Ben decided he wanted more stability and time with his family, so chose to leave with the help of the Career Transition Partnership.
"The main reason for not extending Service was due to having a family and the relative unpredictability of life in the Armed Forces. When my first child was born in 2011, it was the first time I’d considered a career outside the Servce.
"I was after more stability in my life, and I was also starting to feel like I was being underutilised in my role within the military."
Resettlement
Once registered with the CTP, Ben attended a 3-day Career Transition Workshop (CTW) and built a solid relationship with his CTP Career Consultant:
"What I found when I attended the CTW was that I was woefully unprepared for the transition to civilian life. Thankfully, the CV writing exercises really helped me turn my 5-page CV into an impactful 2-page document.
"My Career Consultant helped me set my sights wider and higher than I’d ever imagined. Our meetings enabled me to feel confident in communicating my transferable skills to future employers, and understand how they related to alternative careers."
When asked whether he undertook any additional CTP training or courses, Ben talks about how much he regrets not doing so:
"I didn’t attend any additional training courses or workshops, and it’s something I regret. I never appreciated how little I knew about civilian life, and not attending the CTP’s Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) workshop made planning my finances so much harder.
"Having not attended any other additional training courses, I feel I missed the tremendous opportunity afforded to me. I’d urge everyone to consider the full range of courses and workshops available through the CTP."
Successful Outcome
Ben is now a Director at the Train Driving Academy, where his military experience and resettlement journey have put him in good stead throughout his career:
"I found my current position almost by accident, and my work with the CTP around my CV and interview skills made a difficult recruitment process that little bit easier.
"My ability to identify strengths and development areas in my team; a trait I feel every Service person develops during their time in the military, has massively helped me understand my colleagues better. Adaptability has also been key to my success, as I’ve had to regularly think on my feet and formulate new plans based on changing information quite often – a skill I can thank my time in the military for."
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Ben goes on to say:
"Really think about what you want to do post-Service. Research the roles you’re applying for and make a list of attributes that you believe relate to each job advert. Make sure you take advantage of all the courses available to you via the CTP. Even if you think you’re covered in a certain area, i.e. Finances, you’re probably not, and you’ll thank your previous self for taking the initiative to attend."