Building - Plumbing - Case Studies

Rank on Exit: Sergeant

Years of Service: 20 years

Qualifications Gained: City & Guilds 6129 Level 2 Plumbing

 

Sgt John Lucas left the Forces in September 2007 after 20 years’ service in the Royal Engineers, specialising as a Combat Engineer. His time in uniform has, he says, equipped him with ‘self-discipline, problem-solving skills, initiative, punctuality and a sense of humour (albeit somewhat twisted!)’.

Civilian qualifications gained while serving included his driving licence, ECDL and windsurfing instructor, and during his resettlement period, he gained his City & Guilds 6129 Level 2 Plumbing with Able Skills, based in Dartford. He found this ten-week intensive course ‘exceptionally well run and useful’, and, on leaving the Forces three years ago, was able to start his own business: Precise Plumbing Ltd.

As managing director of his own company, his role is extremely wide-ranging and involves ‘general management duties, pricing jobs/contracts, directing gas engineers, plumbers, electricians and tilers, doing surveys and ordering, dealing with customers, invoicing, estimates, debt collection, marketing and generating business – selling the company to anyone who will listen.

‘Being my own boss is great – the rewards of my hard work and success go to me, not others – but the buck always stops with me, too, which is not so great! In the Army, no matter what your job/role/rank, someone is always above you calling the shots – right or wrong. You are shielded from the reality of mortgages, tax, national insurance, day-to-day bills and basically the stark reality of normal life.

‘There is literally no limit to my earnings now. The harder or smarter I work, the more I earn – a massive incentive!’

Rank on Exit: Sergeant

Years of Service: 25 years

Qualifications Gained: Open University business qualification

 

Two years ago Stephen Woods completed 25 years’ service with the Royal Engineers as a bomb disposal specialist. The 44-year-old Army Sergeant, who had deployed to such hot spots as Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sierr a Leone, Afghanistan, Kenya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had also obtained credits towards an Open University business qualification.

He finds very little of his Service training or experience useful in his new job and detects no similarities – ‘I work by myself not in a team, and have to be self motivated. The hours I work are much more,’ he says; and he reports a significant difference in salary. Worst is ‘chasing people for settlement of contracts.

 

Woods’s resettlement training consisted of a bathroom installation course, which he did not find well run and useful. He set up his own plumbing and heating company and then was selected through interv iew to work as an engineer in Caterham Garrison on call-out and new build projects. ‘I run my own heating and plumbing business installing, serv icing and maintaining domestic appliances. I run property maintenance contracts together with tending for other installation business.’