WO2 Steve Williams, 42, served in the Army for 23 years, in the Royal Engineers. Asked about the training/experience he gained during his Service career that he now finds useful in civilian life, he says ‘All of it – the ability to think ahead and plan tasks meticulously, and my experience as a combat engineer has been directly transferable to my current job.’
Civilian qualifications obtained during his Service career include: driving licence, Chainsaw Certificate, deer management qualifications, City & Guilds Blacksmith, General Construction Certificate and First Aid at Work. During resettlement, as well as his CTW he undertook several arboricultural (tree surgery) training courses with Kingswood Training Services of Shipbourne, Kent. The courses were, he says, ‘excellent: the instructors are second to none as they are have years of experience in the tree industry. And the business start-up plan we completed on the course enabled me to gain start-up funding from the bank.’
Steve went on to start his own business and, as managing director of Hawkes Tree Services, says: ‘I always planned to start a business on leaving the Forces. I wanted to be in charge and have control of my life, so I started Hawkes Tree Services from scratch. We now employ three ex-Service personnel and four civilians.’
Asked what his job involves, he responds, ‘We carry out tree works all over East Anglia to a very high standard on any terrain to any given deadline. We work long hours outside in all weathers, operating heavy machinery including chainsaws, stump grinders, wood chippers, rough terrain fork-lifts and also applying herbicides by spraying where required. We are particularly proud of recently gaining the coveted Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor status; something that it normally takes a tree company several years to attain has been completed within three years of starting up. We also recycle all our waste, which is used to run a biomass power station.
‘I enjoy working outside and the heavy physical aspect of the work. The weather is a big factor and it’s not so enjoyable in the rain. Running my own business takes up 14 hours of my time every day and I work six days a week. It’s not for everyone. I enjoy the planning, though, and watching the business evolve.’
Asked to highlight any similarities between his Service role and his current job, he responds: ‘There are quite a lot. I was involved in planning and conducting large engineer tasks, which is not a million miles away from what I do now. I was also very familiar with various health and safety and equipment regulations, which was also very useful.’
As for the differences: ‘During my time in the Army I followed a detailed set of orders to get the job done. There were never any budgetary constraints to worry about. Things often seemed to just happen. Nowadays I have to plan everything myself and make sure things happen. It’s a much bigger burden trying to survive as a civilian. If you want success you really have to be prepared to work for it.’
