Tony Richardson MBE left the Army as a Warrant Officer in September 2021 after serving for more than 26 years. Having come to the end of his service, Tony registered for resettlement support with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
"I thoroughly enjoyed my whole career. Becoming a leader/manager was a highly valued and respected position, and being involved in a range of new projects and interventions was fantastic."
Resettlement
Once registered with the CTP, Tony attended a 3-day Career Transition Workshop (CTW) among other CTP-provided training courses, ensuring he was in the best possible position to secure civilian employment:
"I attended a CTW and found it very useful. It was very well presented and gave me answers to many of the questions and concerns I had.
"I also took LinkedIn and Prince 2 training courses, both of which were extremely insightful and surprisingly in-depth."
When asked about his relationship with his CTP Career Consultant and any additional CTP support he made use of, Tony went on to say:
"I attended a Civilian Work Attachment (CWA) at the Defluo group, where I’ve now secured a permanent role; highlighting the value of the experience CWAs grant you.
"My CTP Career Consultant Annette has been so supportive and professional from my very first visit, and has continued to support me even now. She is an absolute asset to the CTP.
"I also used the CTP website and MyPlan which helped me identify my ‘plan B’ when I realised my initial plan wasn’t the best fit. Again, Annette was great in helping me get the most out of my experience using the platform."
Successful Outcome
Tony is now a Business Development Manager with Defluo Group Ltd:
"I was fortunate enough to attend a CWA with my current employer, and was asked to attend an interview based on my performance during this time. Starting a new role where I didn’t fully understand the company was initially daunting, but every day is an opportunity to learn and I’ve done just that.
"Now I’m responsible for building client relationships, managing our engineers and overseeing the growth of the business, which is where my Prince 2, Lead Auditors course and my Level 6 in Leadership and Management have been invaluable."
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Tony goes on to say:
"Civilian life is different and sometimes, challenging. But be patient, engage in conversation, be confident and continue asking questions. The skills and experience I have learnt within the military has set me up well within my new employment. Be proud of your achievements and make a difference."