Supporting Jamie Cook On His Resettlement Journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 31/07/2020
Background
Jamie Cook left the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a Leading Aircraftman (LAC) in 2019 after serving for over 2 years. After taking stock of his career and personal life, he decided to transition from the military into civilian life and registered for resettlement with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
"The camaraderie between myself and work colleagues kept morale high and I enjoyed aspects of learning a job while being able to earn a living. However, the distance from home to base was causing a strain on my family relationships and I wanted a better work/life balance."
Resettlement
During his resettlement, Jamie attended a Mechancial Joint Integrity (MJI10) training course with CATCH. The training provided helped Jamie develop his existing skills while learning new ones that would serve to make him more employable.
"The course was very well run. I would recommend it to anybody looking to transition from the Armed Forces into the mechanical field."
Along with his additional training course, Jamie received constant support from his CTP Career Consultant:
"My Career Consultant regularly checked up on me to see how I was getting on with my job search, and was always available to offer advice and guidance."
Successful Outcome
Jamie is now a Trainee Process Operator for Phillips 66; a role he found via RightJob.
Jamie’s pre-existing time management and social skills, which he developed during his time with the military, have been crucial is ensuring his work is always carried out both effectively and efficiently.
"My time management is essential in ensuring I make the correct moves on equipment at the to correct time; while my social skills are vital when maintaining communication with my Process Technician and other operators."
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Jamie goes on to say:
"Put yourself forward for as many courses as possible and try to gain knowledge in Further Education if possible. Attend job fairs and be sure to obtain as many references from Supervisors within the Armed Forces as you can.
Create a LinkedIn profile before you leave the military and start using it. Update your qualifications and experience and reach out to connections to build your network.
Leaving the Armed Forces can be daunting, so try to get your affairs in order as early in advance as possible."