Health & Safety

Name: James Hawkins

Rank on Exit: Warrent Office

Years of Service: 26 Years

Qualifications Gained: BTEC level 3 in Management

Warrant Officer James Hawkins left the Grenadier Guards last February on completion of his contract, having served 26 years. Now working as a business partner within PIP Professional Training and Services, he says that during his Service career he gained ‘managerial experience and “people skills”, along with courses that are not usually the career ones for the infantry but are those that matter in civvy street, such as health and safety training and first aid’. The civilian qualifications he obtained during his Service career include City & Guilds Textiles and Design, BTEC level 3 in Management, level 4 Diploma in Management and Development, and his ECDL. He found his CTW ‘very informative and helpful – it pointed you in the right direction for job advice and information about courses relevant to your next career’. He also took resettlement training courses in PTLLS, First Aid at Work (Teacher and Examiner) and level 3 Health & Safety, and is currently taking various courses, including level 4 Health & Safety, level 3 Food Safety and level 3 Conflict Management. The majority of these were taken with PIP Professional Training and Services, ‘an exceptional training provider,’ says James, ‘with dedicated staff, trainers and support. Initially you could tell that this service provider was quality and all about the development of the learning to enable them to gain full-time sustainable employment. On my PTLLS course, I was the only military member; all courses so far have been a mixture of civilian and ex-military, which makes a good mix for the learning environment.’

He continues, ‘After meeting PIP MD, Ricky Plumb, and attending a PTLLS course, I quickly noticed that his dedication to developing others and his personable approach enriched my own learning experience. We developed a working relationship that has prospered to full-time sustainable employment with the company. Subsequently, business development has progressed and I am currently a business partner within the company, which is currently growing within the industry, and we are expanding at present to develop our branding throughout the UK. We are currently advertising jobs through the CTP and Right Job purely for Service leavers, to enable them to gain a similar experience to my own. I can only praise Ricky for giving me this chance and thus the smoothest transition into civilian life possible. The company is all about professional standards and ethos, and the unselfish development and upskilling of others. I did not feel that such comradeship, job diversity and flexibility would be possible, but through PIP I have managed to exceed my expectations for my next career after leaving the military.’

His job involves ‘development of PIP branding to the military, through direct access visits throughout the UK – word-of-mouth marketing, as well as advertising through Quest, Courses4Forces and other publications, and through the CTP and education and learning centres within the UK’s major garrisons. ‘Your existing skills can be honed from the military and are interchangeable within this sector of civilian life. With PIP, the transition is smooth, and you gain international approved and accredited qualifications in the process. These can lead to a rewarding and very diverse career within the training sector. Because PIP is not just a one-trick pony – we train in health and safety, first aid, food safety, nutrition and health, security, alcohol licensing and an array of subjects within the NOCN framework – this gives the sort of diversity and flexibility that is likely to appeal. So, as they say “Turn Your Talent to Teaching”, we say “Delete JSP Insert PIP” for your next career, and I can only urge members of the Armed Forces to give teaching and training a chance.’

Published November 2011

Name: Neil Duddy

Rank on Exit: LCpl

Years of Service: 5 Years

Qualifications Gained: SVQ level 2 in Construction

Having served in the Royal Engineers for five years, specialising as an engineering surveyor, LCpl Neil Duddy, now 26, left the Army in 2008 with a host of qualifications under his belt, including: SVQ level 2 in Construction and Civil Engineering Services, and NVQ level 2 Security, Safety and Loss Prevention. On top of these, he achieved the NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety and NEBOSH Construction Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety during his resettlement phase. He used his ELC (first claim) to undertake the first of these, and also took (second claim) a Fire Manager course with Vulcan Fire Training, leading to a Technician-grade professional fire safety qualification with the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM).

Currently working as an assistant health and safety manager within the Railway Division of a leading civil engineering company, he says: ‘Both courses were run to a high standard and relevant to my current job. The training was excellent, and both providers made me feel very comfortable through the booking process using ELC and during the course. Both courses give you recognition by a professional institution, which demonstrates to employers that you have received good academic training. It is currently a tough world and jobs are limited, so employers are always looking for someone with that edge – using ELC and a provider like Vulcan Fire Training can ensure you achieve this.

‘The Fire Manager course I recently completed with Vulcan is designed specifically for individuals employed in industry, commerce and other organisations, who have been given responsibility for managing fire safety in their workplace, and is accredited by the IFSM. On the course, I received software, templates and reference material, which will be invaluable in my fire safety manager role. The course built up and improved my knowledge of fire safety – and, as a result of taking the course, I have been accepted by the IFSM as a member at Technician grade. Gaining this qualification ensures I can provide competent advice to my company with regard to fire risk assessment and fire safety management.'

He sums up: ‘Ensure you register for ELC! I used one claim during resettlement and one two years later. This enabled me to gain academic qualifications at a very good price, as each claim gave me £1,000 of funding. It takes nothing to register and you have ten years to use the claims. You can also mention to employers during interviews that you have this additional funding available, which could be the difference between getting the job or not.’

Published February 2011

Name: Colin Rees

Rank on Exit: Mne

Years of Service: 4

Qualifications Gained: NVQ in Public Services

After just over four years in the Royal Marines, having served in locations including Afghanistan and Norway, and specialising in heavy weapons, Mne Colin Rees left the Armed Forces in November 2007 to ‘seek new challenges’.

The skills and aptitudes gained in the military that he now finds useful in civilian life include ‘confidence, teaching ability, self-discipline, fitness, teamwork and communication skills’. In terms of qualifications, he gained an NVQ in Public Services while serving, and Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) level 1 on a resettlement training course run by AssetCo Technical Rescue, which he found well run and useful.

His first civilian job after leaving the Forces was offshore work that came about following ‘personal hand delivery of my CV to offshore companies’. Following this work offshore, he explains, ‘I got a job with my IRATA training provider, AssetCo. In this role I used my IRATA training to instruct Confined Space Access and Rescue courses, and Working at Height courses to industry and the emergency services. AssetCo also gave me some training in rescue equipment management and water rescue.

‘This job proved excellent preparation for my current job as a firefighter’, which he found via ‘personal recommendation following the IRATA Rope Access course’. He says that ‘although, traditionally, firefighters are seen as dealing with fires and rescuing people from burning buildings, the firefighters of today respond to a wide range of emergencies including road traffic collisions, people who are trapped, chemical spillages and the new threats associated with terrorism’.

He enjoys the ‘teamwork, working with the community, danger and excitement, and fitness’ required by his work. In the communication, fitness and teamwork aspects of his job, he finds particular parallels with his Service career, while one welcome difference is an increase in salary.

Published April 2010

Name: Paul Attrell

Rank on Exit: Chief Petty Officer

Years of Service: 24

Qualifications Gained: NVQ4 and Certificate in Management

Despite 20 days ‘excellent and fantastic’ resettlement training in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Oxford TEFL College in Barcelona, ex-Chief Petty Officer Paul Attrell now works as an auditor for Isoqar. Aged 44 he had completed 24 years in the Royal Navy as an artificer weapons data specialist, serving aboard several ships, exchanges with the US and New Zealand navies, fleet maintenance bases, instructional postings, commissioning and trials, and quality, safety and environmental duties.

He believes that experience in training, mentoring, staff appraisal, quality and safety auditing are useful in his new career. Qualifications he gained during service including ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, NEBOSH Certificate, NVQ4 and Certificate in Management, and a City & Guilds in Technical Authorship.

Attrell found employment through Google, followed by an e-mail approach with CV and the offer of free work days. The job was as Lead ISO 9001 Quality Auditor. After further training he now also conducts audits in such fields as the environment, health and safety, information systems, security and fire extinguisher maintenance. Since January 2008 he has been travelling, mostly driving a company-provided car across southern UK from Devon to Norfolk, visiting different clients and conducting audits.

He enjoys little interference and manages his own time management, but covers 24,000 miles a year, with some early starts and late finishes; however, he is not away from home for months on time. He has to pay for such items as work clothes dental work and prescriptions and rarely works with any colleagues, so that ‘loneliness’ can occasionally be an issue. He earns £27,800 a year.

Published November 09

Health & Safety - Case Studies