Transitioning into security: Davey Watson’s story

CASE STUDY

Final Rank: Corporal
Years Served: 9.5

Davey Watson is the regional director of specialist security provider Amulet. Since leaving the Army in 2005, he held a range of security roles, from operational management to personal protection for high profile individuals.

For many, the transition from military service to a civilian job and life is complex. Not only does the job itself change, but so do the day-to-day routines of life.

That’s why the support of organisations that take part in initiatives like the Armed Forces Covenant are so important, as it helps ease these challenges.

Churchill Group is a facilities management provider and member of the covenant. It offers employment opportunities to ex-military personnel and was a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme gold award winner in 2022.

Davey is one of the many veterans that work for Amulet, one of a number of brands under the Churchill umbrella. Previously, he was a Corporal in the Staff and Personnel Support Branch, a large part of Adjutant General’s Corps.

As part of his service, Davey travelled the world, which required much planning, along with administrative, people, project, and operational management skills. These were the practices he was able to bring into the business world.

Despite these transferrable skills, there were still significant differences between his service and civilian role. Davey had to both learn and unlearn certain things, including the hierarchy, language, behaviours, sense of humour and approaches to certain tasks embedded within army culture.

He quickly learned that rank didn’t involve ordering around others, or that mickey-taking and gallows humour didn’t equate to the same comradery in the workplace as before. It was that softer side of the role, rather than the task orientated elements, that Davey found hardest.

Davey joined Amulet in 2022 as the regional director for Scotland. Within his role, he’s helped others leaving the forces transition into the business world, in part by attending numerous forces transition days.

The main question he advises people to think of is “what do you actually want to do?”. Then he can advise on training courses relevant to the civilian world which can be taken while serving. For example, the project management qualification like PRINCE2 is valued by businesses but can be expensive. If you would like to become a project manager while in service, the army can help pay for your course as part of your resettlement.

Advice like that is what Davey really valued when he was leaving the forces, as the help of a mentor with similar experiences can help you demilitarise. With that said, an organisation like Churchill does value skills gained in the armed forces, including personal discipline, organisation, task focus, and resilience.

There is also a mentoring programme at Churchill that pairs newer veterans to ones already within the organisation. It helps veterans be supported by someone that understands the world they have come from.

Changing career paths is not simple for anyone, but the bonds veterans have, and the skills gained in service can provide valuable foundations for the working world.