Resettlement success

Lianne B - WO1

"The knowledge and skills that we gain in the military are second to none, just have the confidence to portray this to prospective employers."

Background
Ex WO1 Lianne B served for 22 years in the Royal Logistics Corps, leaving in late 2011 so that she could spend more time with her young family and embark upon a new career. During her time in the RLC, Lianne served as a Movement Controller, and she says, ‘The communication and presentation skills coupled with management experience I gained during my career have equipped me with the skillset and confidence required to succeed in civilian life.’ Lianne also gained a number of civilian qualifications during her time in the Army, and these include an Advanced Diploma in Logistics, and NVQs in Supervisory Management and Information Technology.

Resettlement
Prior to leaving the Army, Lianne attended a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Tidworth, and says, ‘I found the workshop very helpful; it certainly put me in the right frame of mind and made me think about how my skills could be transferred into civilian life.’ She adds, ‘Having only ever applied for two jobs in my lifetime, the CTW helped me to understand the need to analyse a job specification and application and match my skills to the requirement.’

With her initial intention to become a self-employed handy lady, Lianne made full use of the range of building courses offered at the Resettlement Training Centre in Aldershot, completing courses including Painting and Decorating, Plumbing, Plastering and Tiling. Lianne also attended a Business Start Up workshop at RRC Tidworth, and a Becoming Self Employed Tax Presentation at RRC Plymouth, along with a number of CTP Employment Fairs and Industry Awareness Days.

Outcome
Lianne made use of the job finding service provided by the CTP, and it was through her Employment Consultant that she found her current job role, as Armed Forces’ & Uniformed Services’ Co-ordinator at the University of Wolverhampton. Lianne says that ‘it was certainly not the direction I had planned to take in my career but one I do not regret as it has opened up so many opportunities for me.’

In her role, Lianne is responsible for liaising with the MoD and the organisations that support them to develop new opportunities for Armed Forces personnel and their families. She says, ‘I also work closely with University staff to assist them with gaining a better understanding of the needs of the MoD and Armed Forces personnel. The University of Wolverhampton are doing so much to support Armed Forces personnel with their Continued Professional Development, and employing me in this role gave them not only the expertise they needed but also someone who is passionate about the Armed Forces.’

When applying for the role, Lianne used all the skills she learnt during her CTW, and says, ‘I ensured that I provided evidence from my experience in the military to support the job requirement. Interestingly, I almost did not apply for the job as I believed that I was not qualified for the position due to the fact they were seeking a graduate. I could not have been more wrong, the knowledge and experience that I have gained throughout my career in the military are crucial to the role I now play within the University.’

When asked about the obstacles she faced when settling into the role, Lianne says, ‘As the University is such a large organisation with eight Academic Schools, the biggest obstacle was getting to grips with how the University operated and who I should speak to. I soon realised that it operates just like the MoD. There is an academic structure within the University that is similar to the military command structure. The Offices of the Vice-Chancellor are the Headquarters, the Deans are the Commanding Officers and the Associate Deans the Officer Commanding. Once I understood this it was plain sailing!’

Lianne also has plenty of advice for other Service leavers, and says, ‘Use the CTP Resettlement courses and education grants that are available to you. Think long and hard about what you would like to do for your future career and attend quality training courses that will give you recognised civilian qualifications. Most importantly do not undersell yourself, like I did. The knowledge and skills that we gain in the military are second to none, just have the confidence to portray this to prospective employers.’