Employers from across the Construction industry are being encouraged to take advantage of the skills and experience held by the thousands leaving the Armed Forces each year.
A recent article published at Construction Manager online highlights a new initiative aiming to encourage recruitment from the forces into the Construction industry.
The article speaks about the long-standing relationship between the Armed Forces and construction industry and the similarities between the two: both have clear hierarchies and chains of command; both rely on careful planning behind the scenes then boots on the ground. Now, in a move backed by the CITB, the Sector Skills Council for the Construction industry, a wider range of construction employers are being encouraged to take advantage of the talented individuals leaving the Armed Forces each year.
“Service people are highly committed, determined and reliable, they’re used to working in challenging conditions and with challenging deadlines. The message is ‘if you’re recruiting, you might want to think about recruiting from the military’, as part of a total package including apprentices, graduates and people who already have careers in construction,”
says Andy Walder, director of the National Construction College.
With large industry-players including Lend Lease, Morgan Sindall and Costain already active in the recruitment of Service leavers, the new initiative aims to increase the number of organisations looking to the military talent pool to fill their vacancies, and to highlight the range of transferrable skills held by ex-Service personnel. The scheme also looks to promote the opportunity for offering Civilian Work Attachments to Service leavers, in order to provide a ‘taster’ for both employers and those looking to work in the industry upon leaving the Services.
The initiative will focus on showcasing the skills and experience Service leavers have to offer and linking more employers with potential recruits through the Career Transition Partnership. The message is that even without specific construction experience, many ex-military personnel have skills in communication, management and leadership which also make them extremely well suited to a career in the industry.
Click here to read further information and case studies in the full article from Construction Manager.