Forces: Ex-Army
Rob A - WO2
“Your ability to learn as you go - conducting crisis management fast and with confidence - is a skill only ex-military personnel have at the level we can do it. Have confidence!”
Background
Ex-WO2 Rob A left the Army in October 2011, having served for 24 years and gained a vast array of qualifications in the field of training, including instructional design, audit, Training Needs Analysis and Quality Management Systems, plus additional qualifications in Defence Instructional Techniques, RE Instructor and Patrol Search Instructor (Counter-IED).
Resettlement
To kick-start his resettlement, Rob attended a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) at RRC Tidworth, and says that the aspects he found most helpful were, “the CV writing, the education on exactly how much support is available to us as leavers, and the guidance from the CTP staff.” Rob also made full use of his Career Consultant throughout his resettlement period, saying that “my consultant was instrumental in focusing my efforts in career areas that would most likely pay dividends and reminding me at key times to carry out particular activities that would enhance my employability.”
Rob used his Enhanced Learning Credits (ELCs) to complete two further courses, provided by a CTP Preferred Supplier; these were Prince2 Project Management and Success in Financial Management, both of which added formal backing to Rob’s existing military skills and experience. Rob advises other Service leavers, “Your management and people skills set you so far above your civilian counterparts it is impossible to quantify - a qualification should be undertaken to prove this!”
Rob used his remaining Graduated Resettlement Time (GRT) to complete a Civilian Work Attachment (CWA) with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a not-for-profit organisation clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. Rob spent his time with the organisation writing their training manual – something in which he was extremely competent thanks to his military background in training. Rob says that at this time, “I was torn between pursuing careers in EOD and landmine clearance like so many of my peers, training design and development (which has always been a passion) or project management in general.”
Rob also attended a CTP Employment Fair, and it was at this event that a chance meeting with an old colleague led him to secure his current civilian job; he was reminded of a mutual ex-colleague who had recently retired and started his own company. His advice to others on the job search process is to “fire your CV’s to as many companies as you can, get on Linked In and lean as heavily as you can on old comrades/friends - they are all doing it so don’t be shy. Start all this well before you actually leave the military.”
Outcome
After the Employment Fair Rob made contact with his former colleague via LinkedIn, and although there was no existing vacancy, his speculative approach paid off and he went on to attend two interviews with the company director. Rob says, “I was initially offered associate status for consultancy work with the company and so I had to register myself as self-employed and organise paying National Insurance. I used my remaining CWA entitlement to conduct some work with the company, which resulted in an offer of full-time employment. I took early release in order to take up the position.”
Rob now works in the role of Senior Counter IED and Search Training Design Consultant for OPTIMA Defence & Security Limited, a consultancy and training provider specialising in Detect and Destroy capabilities for Defence, Security, Police and Private Security sectors. The role involves “writing Training Needs Analysis, designing training and instructing on courses in C-IED defence and deliberate Search operations.” The company has also identified a lack of recognised qualifications in the security and search sector, as highlighted by the recent Olympic Games, and Rob is currently developing a range of qualifications to provide Service leavers with an opportunity to convert their experience into internationally recognised certificates.
Rob adds, “While going through the interview process with my current employer I also had interviews with other, larger organisations and my experiences with them and the encouraging discussions I had with interviewers instilled greater confidence in me and convinced me that I could offer what these companies wanted. You cannot have too many ‘practice’ interviews and it is important not to lose heart but to keep getting as many as possible.”
When settling into civilian life, Rob faced obstacles in sorting out the aspects unrelated to his new job, such as accommodation and locating his security clearance certificate; he also advises others “get your pension and tax details sorted early, to avoid underpayment and cash shortages when HMRC comes asking for it all back!”
Thanks to his existing experience, settling into the job itself was an easy process for Rob, and his final words to other Service leavers are, “Your ability to learn as you go - conducting crisis management fast and with confidence - is a skill only ex-military personnel have at the level we can do it. Have confidence!”
More success stories