Mark Beauchamp served in the Royal Engineers from 2013 to 2019 leaving with the rank of Corporal. Mark advised ” as a solider my most recent position was as a Combat Engineer- Design Draughtsman. At the front we support the rest of the Army, bridging rivers, clearing routes through minefields or using explosives to enter buildings and destroy bridges. As a design draughtsman being involved in a design team, I was responsible for drawing blueprints for buildings, airports, roads or fortifications.
My role varied on a day-to-day basis. Whether that was providing engineering capabilities to 2 or 3 Parachute Regiment on exercise or designing building fortifications in a design cell on a construction tour. I gained a few CAD (Computer Aided Design) qualifications during my time in the military. Having a broad knowledge of computers especially word and excel has helped me in my current role.
My new role is a Site Works Manager- for VINCI Facilities. I attended the BuildForce Nationwide Armed Forces Insight Day hosted by VINCI Facilities back in 2024. I spoke with Joshua Pike who put the wheels in motion to get me a work placement with VINCI, and a few months later a full-time position came up
I initially got back in contact Caroline Logan who signposted me to a few BuildForce events that were happening. Meeting employers face to face and getting an idea what career opportunities are out there at these careers fairs was very helpful. BuildForce reviewed my CV also which was great.
To be honest, I feel like I didn’t utilise the services that were on offer enough. I did a couple of courses using the SLC and IRTC during my resettlement. However, the line of work I anticipated pursuing after the military fell short once the pandemic hit.
The “unknown” was the biggest challenge I faced. I joined the Army at 25 so I wasn’t scared of working in “civvy street” and I knew what it entailed. The main area I struggled with was going from a military organisation of let’s say 50+ give or take to an office of 3 people. It was a massive shock to the system, and it took a while to adjust.
During the transition process I think it would be helpful to have more hands-on support on the process for applying for courses using ELC’s.
As a Site Works Manager, I am responsible for co-ordinating various activities, liaising with sub-contractors, ensuring safety and making sure projects finish before deadlines.
On a typical day I come into the office at 0800hrs. My main responsibility is for any reactive maintenance tasks, checking the CAFM (Computer Aided Facilities Management) system to see what jobs have been raised overnight. The typical day varies, some days it will be quiet but then some days are super busy, it’s just the nature of the work. There are various meetings during the week with the client and the QM to discuss works in progress on site and planned works. Liaising with sub-contractors on a daily basis, reviewing RAMS and making sure projects are being completed on time in a safe manner.
The skills that have stood me in good stead since leaving the military include communication, adaptability and motivation. Communication is the main skill in my role, anyone from a military background should have this in numbers. Keeping people informed whether that’s via a phone call or an email trail is essential, it allows people to notify us of any issues as well as general projects/task updates. Adaptability is a key skill too, be like water! Some days are quiet but there is always something to do, one day there could be e-learning to do the next there could be a catastrophic water leak that needs to be dealt with.
Do some detailed research on the career path you want to go down, get some work experience. This is something I regret doing, being a design draughtsman in the military is what I thought I was going to do in “civvy street”. Turns out it wasn’t, and I struggled with the 100% office-based environment. You learn from your mistakes, and you’ve just got to adapt.
I would recommend a career in the construction industry which is challenging, rewarding and interesting.”