Spend some money on yourself

Anyone who grouses about the quality and quantity of education and training provided free for people in the Armed Forces needs a reality check. 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 – a very favoured few high fliers might get some of them. And the tax payer, not the individual, picks up the bill.

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. That is how it has always been and there is no reason to object to the premise that training is critically important in every field and 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 therefore come to believe that it is solely an employer’s responsibility to ready them for a particular job, and they come to expect that this will happen.

This experience can result in three entirely incorrect and dangerous 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. The third is a reluctance to invest, sometimes even a refusal to consider investing, some personal money and off-duty time into self-improvement.

It is a fact, soon discovered by the Service leaver, that Forces’ training is not replicated in the civilian world. Any employer that tried would be out of business in a hurry because its competitors would be producing vast amounts of its 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 perhaps seldom expressed in those terms, but it is often held nevertheless. Certainly the Services benefit from much of the training for which they pay, and no one is suggested that recruits should put their hands in their pockets for the privilege of being taught drill. However, people should recognise that they also can gain immensely from many military courses and perhaps be prepared to pay the extra costs of additional training or exam fees to gain the recognised civilian qualification that results.

However, it is the attitude towards personal development that is most dangerous. People can come to believe that, if it is necessary, the employer will pay for it; and conversely that, if it is not provided, it is unnecessary. This is an entirely false perspective. Out 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 the ones who get ahead are either shining stars or people who work very hard to improve their skill sets. For the majority of us who are certainly not going to earn massive salaries, pensions, share options and the other benefits that go with ‘fat cat’ status, the latter is the way to go.

Look around the civilian world and 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. Most of them simply would not understand the mind-set that will only undertake training that is provided free of charge.

They would most certainly be clamouring to used the new Enhanced Learning Credit scheme that now elevates the maximum cash available to help a Service person take personal development to just under a staggering £10,000 (£6,000 ELCs, £3,325 Standard Learning Credits and £534 Individual Resettlement Training Costs) over a 22-year career. To claim this sum, the individual needs to find only £2,300, or £2 a week, themselves. This represents one of the best deals on the market, although some Service people will, sadly, not use what is provided. Those that do, however, will find that they are ahead of the herd rather than being a part of it.