Forces: Army
Pete T - PTE
"Have a go at whatever you can, see what you enjoy and be the best at it you can be, for yourself and your employer. You have the ability; mind set, and are capable of great things."
After serving 4 years as part of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in
the Army, Pete Thornton was medically discharged due to a back injury
during Service. He comments that his favourite aspect of Service life
was “the bond and camaraderie between your section, platoon, company and
the regiment you represented.” He goes on to say, “I also enjoyed how
you become the best you that you can be, and the variety of
opportunities that are open to you to succeed.”
Pete now works as
a Learning and Development Manager for Bidvest Logistics, having
initially been employed as a Night Worker for the loading bay. Regarding
his first interview, Pete said, “I went for an interview with the Night
Manager at Bidvest. He seemed really keen and respected the Service
background I had. He was looking for a committed, hardworking and
dedicated staff member to take on the role. I was really pleased when I
was offered the job.”
Since
then, Pete has progressed through different operational roles; Team
Leader, Section Supervisor, Contract Quality Manager and Freezer
Manager, before finally moving into the wider business training and
coaching role within the Quality Management team. As a Learning and
Development Manager, it is Pete’s job to liaise with external training
suppliers, developing and delivering internal training, as well as
managing employee engagement projects and programmes, creating the
business apprenticeship offering, and working with business HR teams at
each site to create interventions to support Line Managers.
Pete
uses many of the skills gained throughout his Army career to help him
succeed in the role: “The whole ethos of remaining calm under pressure,
discipline in approach to tasks, the willingness to take on
opportunities head on, and not shying away from a challenge. These have
all played key parts in how I approach work situations throughout".
The
ability to adapt to circumstances and take ownership for decisions have
proved invaluable. If you add this to pride, passion for who you are
and what you represent, then you have an attractive offering for a
potential employers.Pete’s advice to Service leavers currently transitioning is
, “Stay
motivated, it’s a different world out here and people have different
values, motivation and ambitions. Have a go at whatever you can, see
what you enjoy and be the best at it you can be, for yourself and your
employer. You have the ability; mind set, and are capable of great
things.”
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