Leaving The Armed Forces?

Whether or not you’ve made the jump or are considering doing so, leaving the armed forces will be the start a daunting, yet hugely exciting chapter in your life. According to the UK government, around 20,000 armed forces personnel return to ‘civi-street’ every year and the impact they make on the success of businesses across the UK is often underestimated. Its often difficult to find Engineers or Managers with the depth of training and technical skills that comes from a career in the military.

You may have maintained a warship’s RADAR system, or carried out basic vehicle repairs on a battle tank; the experience you’ve gained whilst doing your job is invaluable to companies who need the highest quality of Engineers. You may not have been specifically trained as an Engineer, your soft skills and work ethic will almost certainly result in a positive experience when you start your first role after leaving the armed forces. Its important to remember that as a veteran you can add value to a business no matter what level you leave the armed forces, your rank or position is not an indication of your potential in a commercial environment.

Life outside the armed forces can be challenging in so many ways, stepping into the right environment to support your development is really the most important thing to do when finally handing in your MOD Form 90.

So what kind of business would you want to join? You’ll need to find an organisation that can give you experience in the fields you haven’t been exposed to whilst in the armed forces. For instance, if you can leave the British Army with engineering experience and work as a Supervisor for Mitie, your commercial experience will be enhanced and you'll soon have the confidence and all-round knowledge to achieve your goals within the organisation.

There’s never been a more exciting time to join Mitie as a service leaver. As a business we provide engineering services across the UK and are specifically targeting defence contracts to diversify our business. Charles Antelme DSO has recently joined the business as Head of Defence to take the business into one of the most challenging environments in our industry. We will need former Soldiers, Airman and Naval personnel to give us the right mix of staff to manage large scale maintenance contracts to defence businesses and government sites across the country. A network of service leavers already exists within Mitie to support this growth and we will be offering some extremely exciting opportunities to former servicemen and women to ensure we have those who know defence at the forefront of our business.

If you, or anyone you know is leaving the armed forces and want to grow your commercial experience with Mitie then please contact me directly and I’ll make sure you have all the information you need to progress in your new career.