Spend some money on yourself

No one should grouse about the quality and quantity of education and training provided free for people in the Armed Forces. From basic skills to advanced command and staff training, and all stations in between, the depth and breadth of it is staggering. No civilian organisation comes anywhere close to providing such opportunities for all its staff – only a few, very favoured, high fliers might get some of them.

Fair enough. There are few second chances in operations and mistakes can mean that somebody dies. Training occupies most of a Service person’s time when they are not engaged in carrying out government policy in a number of trouble spots throughout the world. There is no reason why any responsible observer should object to the premise that training is critically important at every level of Service endeavour.

But – and there is always a ‘but’ – many people in the Services take this provision for granted. There is a course to prepare people for every promotion or appointment, except for those who are expected to be capable enough or sufficiently experienced for this not to be necessary. Some can come to believe that it is an employer’s responsibility to ready them for a particular job, and expect that this will always happen.

This experience can result in three incorrect beliefs. The first is that all employers provide training to prepare the individual for their job – and that it will be of a similar quality to that experienced in the Forces. The second is that someone else should pick up the bill for personal development that ultimately benefits the individual as well as the employer. And the third is a reluctance to invest some personal money and off-duty time into self-improvement.

Service leavers soon discover that Forces training is not replicated in the civilian world. Any employer that tried would be quickly out of business because its competitors would be producing goods or services while its employees were being trained. Indeed, the cost of providing the training would be prohibitive in an age of shareholder demand, low margins and global trade. This is not an argument against training; it is a statement of the actual position, however much people might wish it to be different.

The second point – the idea that someone else should pay for training that benefits the individual – is seldom expressed in those terms. But it is often held nevertheless. Certainly the Services benefit from much of the training for which they pay, but individuals should recognise that they also can gain immensely from many military courses, and be prepared to pay the costs of additional training or exam fees to gain recognised civilian qualifications.

Some people can come to believe that, if personal development is necessary, the employer will pay for it; and conversely that, if it is not provided, it is unnecessary. This is false. In the civilian world, employment and advancement is a serious and competitive business. People need every edge they can get if they are to maximise their potential. That is why most of those who get ahead are people who work very hard to improve their skill sets.

In the civilian world you can see people improving their skills, paying a financial price as well as sacrificing their spare time to become better qualified. Learners are respected by employers and colleagues. They tend to get the best job offers and early promotion. They tend to be busy people, contributing to life as well as taking from it. So, be ready to supplement the staggering sum available in learning and resettlement grants with some of your own money – it will reap dividends in your future.

In this edition of Quest we look at security, already a firm favourite with Service leavers, but a sector in which basic qualifications are now mandatory and advanced ones are becoming increasingly valued. Transport is covered, with features on the motor industry and the railways. The spread of the former is huge, and ranges from design and manufacturing to sales, maintenance, repair and the provision of accessories. The rail sector, too, is actively recruiting, with engineering and signalling skills in short supply and drivers’ salaries very competitive.

The facilities management industry offers excellent opportunities for which many Service people may be more suited than they may imagine. Just think of ships, barracks and air stations as collections of buildings, equipment, infrastructure and people, and you may get some idea of the skills that you may already hold in this field. Add some formal qualifications and your CV is likely to look very impressive. There is still a major shortage of teachers, and the authorities have designed routes into the profession that open it up to more people than before. And for those who want to start their own business, we cover franchising and point you towards places where you can find out more.

We also include a piece on pay and benefits in the civilian world. This is something that may help some Service leavers as they try to make sense of the packages they are comparing as part of those first job offers.