Supporting Derek Folds on his resettlement journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 03/04/2023
Derek left the Royal Navy in 2019 after serving for more than 28 years and having enjoyed an illustrious career:
“I enjoyed a varied career, having held many different front line and second line roles, from carriers to frigates and RFA’s. I think this is what gave me the most satisfaction - being able to adapt to and master different roles as they were assigned to me. Two real highlights were the Pegasus engine shop at RNAS Yeovilton and the Flight Test Dept at RNAS Culdrose.
"But it’s the people that make the Armed Forces; the professionalism, feeling of family and the can-do attitude run from top to bottom.”
Resettlement
Once registered for his resettlement support with the CTP, Derek made the most of the wealth of support available to him, attending a 3-day Career Transition Workshop (CTW), a CTP Employment Fair and undertaking two vocational training courses:
“The CTW’s CV writing element was most useful - learning how to word things in a non-military manner as well as adapting your transferable skills and getting them to meet a job description. I then undertook the ECDL and Project Manager’s training courses with the CTP, and attended an Employment Fair where I met with a lot of Defence sector companies who really understood my situation and helped put me at ease.
"I’ve since been able to attend from an employer’s perspective, and it’s good to see some more ‘outside of the wire’ companies now engaging.”
But it was his CTP Career Consultant that Derek found most useful throughout his resettlement:
“My CTP consultant was the most invaluable resource available to me and was significant in my search for a new job. She was always on hand and gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to apply for things that I thought were beyond me. As per her advice, I utilised the CTP website as much as I could, and found the Industry Sector Guides, The Regional Employment Bulletins and MyPlan to be very helpful.”
Successful Outcome
Derek is now an Operations Manager with South West Water, his second career move since leaving the military:
“I started as an Operations Manager at South West Water in September 2022. It’s a fast-paced role that involves thinking on your feet, much like being in the services, and that’s why I love it. I’m responsible for a large team managing all wastewater treatment, infrastructure and pumping stations across the West of Cornwall; and my job is to make sure my team are happy and have what they need to get the job done in compliance with all the regulations that govern our industry.”
Advice
As a final piece of advice to fellow Service leavers, Derek says:
“Use your CTP consultant - they are a hugely under-utilised asset. Look at the people you know who are leaving or have left already and build a network on LinkedIn. Don’t wait for your last 3 months to start planning your future employment; instead, take charge of your future and seize the opportunity to look for your dream job early. This way, if something great comes along quickly, you can apply for early release. Alternatively, if it takes a while, you can remain secure in the knowledge that time is on your side, and you can keep looking with the help of CTP along the way.
"If your first job doesn’t work out, don’t sweat it, there are plenty of other jobs to choose from when you’re ready to move. And aim high - you are better than you think!”
If you’d like to find out more about the wealth of training courses available through the CTP, please click here.