Forces: Ex-Army
Gavin N - Corporal
“It’s not scary out here, just don’t under-sell the basic skills you have, such as being able to stand up and talk in front of a group of people. These are the skills employers value highly.”
Corporal Gavin Nicholls served for 13 years as a Communication Systems Operator in the Army, gaining an NVQ Level 3 qualification in Management Principles and a PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning sector) Level 4 qualification during his service. Gavin says he particularly enjoyed the chances military life offered him for personal development, along with the experience of serving alongside many different soldiers.
Gavin says the skills most useful to him in civilian life are his telecoms and management experience, along with soft skills such as discipline and commitment.
As part of his resettlement, Gavin attended a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Catterick and says, “The CTW gave me an insight into what to expect in the future and helped me not only write a CV but also to apply for and successfully get my job.”
During the workshop, Gavin discussed his future aspirations with his Career Consultant to establish what would be the best use of his Graduated Resettlement Time and IRTC grant. He says, “Take full advantage of the time you have with the advisors at CTW as they really are there to help you.”
Wishing to build on his existing skills and experience, Gavin aimed to pursue a career in telecoms and therefore decided to undertake a vocational training course in this field. He completed a 7 week BTEC course covering fibre optics, which provided him with the relevant qualifications needed for the sector.
Gavin advises other Service leavers, “Take full advantage of all the funding that is available to you, as there are lots of courses which can aid your employability.”
Now ready to start applying for job vacancies, Gavin used the job searching techniques learnt during his CTW and found his current position advertised on RightJob; he applied for the role and has now been in the post for almost a year. Gavin works as Training Manager for Linbrooke Services Limited, a company providing engineering solutions for Telecommunications, Power & Electrical and Security projects. His responsibilities include the writing of new courses for accreditation, course administration and teaching various telecoms subjects.
Gavin says he faced no obstacles when transitioning from the military into his civilian role; “both the company and the MOD were very helpful and made it all a smooth process.”
Gavin’s final words of advice for other Service leavers is, “it’s not scary out here, just don’t under-sell the basic skills you have, such as being able to stand up and talk in front of a group of people. These are the skills employers value highly.”
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