Forces: Ex-Royal Navy
Mark G - Chief Petty Officer
“Research your chosen line of work thoroughly and take advantage of all the CTP have to offer, because what they offer is of great value & use. Finally get out here & enjoy it.”
Background
Ex Chief Petty Officer Mark G left the Royal Navy in February 2011, having served for 32 years as a Marine Engineering Mechanic. He gained a wealth of experience, and as he advanced in position, so his job responsibility increased. Mark’s role entailed tasks such as management of the fuel systems onboard, all fuel replenishment, the SSEP (Standing Sea Emergency Party) training and implementation in the event of an emergency, and as department co-ordinator, which was a multi task administration responsibility. Mark obtained a wealth of civilian qualifications during his service; these included numerous Health & Safety awards along with Leadership and Management training.
Resettlement
Eleven months prior to leaving the Navy, Mark attended a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Plymouth, and during a one-to-one interview with his Career Consultant, established that he would like to seek work in the cruise industry, using the extensive health and safety experience he had gained in the military. He also identified the HGV field as a back-up plan, and having discussed various training options, Mark’s Consultant advised him to complete the NEBOSH health & safety qualification, as this would support both areas.
Mark attended the CTP’s three module NEBOSH suite at RRC Plymouth and says that it was “very well run indeed and I used a lot of information from the course to carry out my initial enquiries”. Making the most of his resettlement provision, Mark also attended a Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) briefing and an Employment Fair, and made full use of the CTP website, of which he says, “It’s a very extensive website and enabled me to narrow my choices with ease because of its range and versatility.”
Mark took a proactive approach to job finding, and using company information sourced through RightJob, sent speculative letters of enquiry to a number of companies he was interested in working for. He says, “I made sure I researched each company as thoroughly as I could to have a good background knowledge.” Mark received replies from several companies and was able to select the one that offered the most comprehensive package – Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL); he says, “I then intensified my research and replied to the initial interest with a refined CV.”
“Once NCL confirmed real interest I worked on providing them with the information they needed in two different formats in a legible and readily understandable way.
I received a job offer, had a Skype interview to confirm this and then secured a visa from America House to enable me to start with NCL three days after leaving the Royal Navy.”
Outcome
Mark has now been in his role as Safety Officer for just over a year, and his main tasks include control of all Standards of Training Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) and emergency preparedness training, along with overseeing safety training, promoting safety awareness, and carrying out safety risk assessments and safety incident investigations.
Along with his NEBOSH qualification, Mark says that the overall experience gained from 32 years in the Navy was most helpful in securing his job, and suggests that many Service leavers do not realise their worth; he says “Civilian companies love it; I have had 3 different job offers from other cruise lines since being here, without even looking.”
His advice to other Service leavers is, “Research your chosen line of work thoroughly and take advantage of all the CTP have to offer, because what they offer is of great value and use. Finally get out here & enjoy it.”
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