From Artificer Vehicles to Materials Handling Engineer
Steve's Story
Steve Chamberlain served as an Artificer Vehicles in the REME, leaving in the rank of WO1 (ASM) in 2008.
“Having served for 22 years in the Army, I was ready for a new challenge and to pursue a new career in civilian life.
Along with a HNC in Mechanical Engineering, I gained a number of different skills during my military career, including the ability to lead and achieve complex tasks, time keeping and personal standards, communication skills, and flexibility - being posted to a different Regiment/Unit every 2-3 years, and at short notice.
Being made responsible and accountable from early on in my Army career is also a skill that I developed throughout my service.
For my resettlement, I attended a Career Transition Workshop at RAF Cottesmore, which was especially helpful in terms of the CV writing tips. I also completed a Prince 2 Project Management course, along with a Financial and Accounting Awareness course.
I now work as Materials Handling Engineer for EDF - the interview was specific for the job and a lot of emphasis was placed on Health and Safety. I was interviewed by a Team Manager and HR representative, and was notified within 2 hours of leaving the interview that I had been successful and had the job.
My job entails managing manpower and resources and making engineering decisions. All of these skills were developed whilst serving in the Army.High personal standards, i.e. appearance, timekeeping and attitude will be beneficial in any environment.
My advice to other Service leavers would be to keep an open mind as to the career that you would like to pursue. Getting your ‘foot in the door’ with a company is invaluable, even if you have to start off at a lower grade than anticipated.