Ashley Golding served for 15 years between 2007 and 2023 leaving with the rank of Sargent. Ashley advised “I spent my first 10 years within the Infantry working within various Rifle Companies and then within a Fire Support Company conducting training and security support to operational commitments.
Upon moving over to the Royal Logistics Corps I instructed on the Junior Non-Commissioned Officer course looking at developing junior soldiers into leadership positions. My role included mentoring and coaching, helping to develop communication and delegation skills, and training in strategies to deal with conflict resolution.
Over the last five years I worked in Supply Chain Management, looking at the inventory and procurement of goods, supporting MOD establishments and Disaster Relief Projects around Europe as well as further afield. I also worked within a team providing logistical Support to various NHS hospitals over the COVID 19 pandemic.
My typical day consisted of leading morning meetings on updates and tasks. Tracking various inventory and demands within the Supply chain, conducting Discrepancy Reports on potential items that are delayed within the supply chain and could cause considerable issues. I would then engage with MOD contractors and MOD Project Teams on availability of specific equipment to help support training and operational needs of the Brigade I worked under in multiple locations around Europe.
Some of the many skills I honed while serving are:-
I am now working as a Consultant Project Manager working for AtkinsRéalis.
I attended some the Insight Days and Project Days BuildForce set up and spoke to various people from AtkinsRéalis at these events who spoke highly of the organisation and the opportunities available. Once my CV had been sent out by BuildForce, I was offered the opportunity to attend an interview with AtkinsRéalis and found the interview process quite enjoyable with them and found they were happy to answer my questions in good depth which gave me a really good impression of the company and all the opportunities available. I was fortunate enough to then be offered a position which I accepted.
I currently work on the Submarines Enterprise Account as part of the Submarines Operations Office team. The team has only recently been created due to the large growth of the account. My current role is within Risk Management and Compliance on the account and specifically supporting the development and implementation of risk management approaches/systems for clients, incorporating best practice and procedures. I also track significant risks at account level to ensure they are being systematically identified, recorded, evaluated, actively managed and regularly re-evaluated, and communicated across the enterprise.
I am responsible for setting tasks on the team, engaging with the team to see if they need support. Speaking with stakeholders from different areas of the Submarines account regarding risk management on their current projects and making sure the current mitigation is still working. I also check compliance in a range of areas ensuring people are utilising the correct tools and processes. I also look at potential training opportunities on the account and arrange knowledge surgeries and area specific training.
Some of the transferable skill I use daily include:-
Interms of what helped me, networking at job events really helped during my transition, remember to keep in contact with them moving forward as well. Approaching people on LinkedIn is also very helpful, I found almost everyone I have approached was keen to help and provided me with a good insight into specific areas.
One of the challenges I found is the tempo of life is different, I found working from home took a while to get used to as its client dependant. I spent majority of my career away on deployments or working from military establishments, so the new routine took a while to get used to, but just ensure you set yourself up with a good home office layout and allow yourself time to do exercise at some point of the day.
I have had imposter syndrome a couple of times when I first joined AtkinsRealis and my first couple of weeks on new projects, but you just must remember you won’t know everything. You have specific specialists within areas of the company that you can seek advice from. The company have hired you for the set skills you can bring to the organisation, and you are a working progress with the extra things that you can learn on the job.
A specific path to perhaps do some more work experience for a week or two with various organisations would have been really good. I know AtkinsRealis are currently looking at this process as part of their partnering with the Armed Forces.
I found the Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) process a bit odd and not an easy fix, so certainly some more information and guidance on how to do this more easily would benefit people who are leaving the military and looking to upskill. BuildForce are very knowledgeable in this area so make sure you speak to them early on in your transition.
Practicing mock job interviews a lot more would have helped prior to starting the process of looking for new job opportunities. This provides you with that extra confidence when moving forward and interviewing. Sometimes just sitting on your own or talking to a friend practicing and answering specific questions whilst using the correct techniques is helpful. BuildForce offer interview prep as part of what they do
I would highly recommend a career in construction, the opportunities are huge, and I am sure most organisations will offer the chance to move around a multiple of different areas, and on a variety of different projects once you are embedded within the company. This gives you a good opportunity to try areas you may not have previously thought about before.
As service leavers we are dedicated, organised, and confident, all highly prized skills needed for a career in construction.