Electrical training company salutes forgotten heroes

NEWS

To recognise the bravery of our military personnel and to help with life after they leave the service, electrical training provider Trade Skills 4U are proud to offer a training bursary scheme dedicated to those who have fought for our country.

The bursary scheme offers free or heavily discounted training to those injured in recent military service, ex-military personnel who have been forced to retire due to injury or PTSD, or have simply fallen upon hard times.  

Carl Bennett, founder of TS4U, started the scheme in 2011 after watching a BBC documentary highlighting the struggle for ex service personnel trying to find their feet after being discharged from the armed forces. The documentary resonated with him on a very personal level, having retired from the Metropolitan Police SO19 Specialist Firearms Department due to serious illness after 22 years of service. It was during his rehabilitation that Mr Bennett discovered he could do something practical to help.

As a way of giving back, each year Trade Skills 4U aims to give away £100,000 worth of training to those struggling to find their feet after leaving the forces in a bid to prepare them for civilian life. 

Help for ex-service personnel

The bursary scheme was officially launched in 2011 by Falklands hero Simon Weston OBE. The scheme offers practical training to ex-military personnel, equipping them with the skills to start a new career in the electrical and renewable energy industries. 

The company has helped many ex-military personnel benefit from the scheme. The most popular course on offer is the Bronze Package which allows candidates to train as a Domestic Installer, helping them on their way to a new career.

Soldiering on!

The Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme is something Trade Skills 4U strongly believes has helped many ex-service people to get back on their feet. Having worked with countless forgotten heroes, TS4U has learned that they are truly motivated individuals, even when dealing with some very serious physical and personal issues.

Since the scheme was launched Trades Skills 4U have met some amazing people who have worked hard through adversity to pass their courses. In many cases the training has helped them take their first steps on a long road to recovery and resettlement. 

Daniel Carroll was one such person who served in the Royal Navy. When asked about his experience, he said “Having completed my time in the Royal Navy doing operations that included counter narcotics, disaster relief and life-saving winch duties, I was medically discharged and was employed as a helicopter engineer in Civvy Street. I didn’t feel there was any challenge in this, and neither was it as rewarding as what I had been doing before. For this reason I wanted a challenge, to push myself outside my comfort zone, so I decided to work towards a career to become an electrician and hopefully feel like I am actually doing something to contribute to society again.” 

When asked what advice he had for those wanting to train as an electrician Daniel responded “Just bite the bullet and do it. I realised that I would never be able to recreate the same variety and enjoyment that I had in the military by chasing that job to different employers. I decided that the only way to get that would be to start afresh and as though the only way is up with electrics, I realised that is where I needed to be.”
 
You can read Daniel’s case study at www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/case-study/daniel-carroll-case-study

If you would like to find out more about the Forgotten Heroes Bursary Scheme, visit www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/pages/free-training for more information.

Resettlement Training Courses

Trade Skills 4U are ELC registered (No. 3751) which means ex-servicepeople can use their enhanced learning credits for any of the resettlement courses on offer, resulting in a nationally recognised qualification at level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

Courses range from those for beginners or for those working in allied trades to courses for experienced electricians wanting to add additional skills to their arsenal. 

Credits can also be applied to different courses that make up their electrical installer packages. For more information call 01293 529777 to speak to a resettlement Course Advisor, or visit www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/pages/resettlement