Richard Holmes is a former Sergeant in the Royal Engineers, after completing 17 years, it was time for a change and the Construction Industry
appealed to him. Richard’s last role in the Royal Engineers was a C3S Troop Sergeant within 63 HQ & Training Support Squadron, 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment. Within this role, he was responsible for managing up to, and sometimes beyond 50 personnel daily, ensuring they provided support to the Regiment’s commitment in delivering high quality training to soldiers and Officers. He also had the responsibility for managing all command vehicles and communications equipment. Within the 50+ personnel in the troop, he was responsible for reporting on 15 personnel, helping them progress within the C3S trade and through the Ranks.

A typical day in Richard’s military career within Zonnebeke Troop would involve a parade in the morning to account for everyone and share out work/tasks, check emails, go to meetings, organise the troop for their PT, account for C3S equipment, book courses for the team, such as; adventure training, career courses, educational and finally plan the manpower for the upcoming support.

Richard gained several skills during his military career and highlighted the following:

• Written and Verbal Communication: as his trade involved him to interact with both Soldiers and Officers of all ranks, over the years, he learnt how to address people in the correct manner, given the situation and audience. Being able to communicate effectively helped him during his time as a training instructor as it helped him break down barriers with students, making it easier to coach and mentor. As a SNCO, you spend more time behind a desk which is where his written communication skills were tested and over time improved.
• Work ethic: although in Richard’s opinion this is more of a quality than a skill, he believes it helped him during his time in the forces. Over his time in the Army, he was set challenging tasks with almost impossible timelines, but Richard applied himself to achieve the goal, even if it meant sacrificing his own personal time.
• Self-Discipline: continuously wanting to set a good example to those around him, not only to prove to the chain of command he was a good solider but also to encourage people around him to do the same. Taking pride in his appearance, making sure he was punctual and making the effort to do extra exercise, even if it meant an early start or a late night as in his early years, Richard wasn’t the fittest.

Richard secured his current role as Trainee Assistant Site Manager with the homebuilder, Crest Nicholson through the connections he made with BuildForce and soon secured a place on their Trainee Programme. He feels networking was key to his transition, further
commenting:

“I would like to say I had a solid plan set in place at the start of my resettlement, but it would be a lie. If it wasn’t for going to different networking events, talking to people on my resettlement courses and randomly reaching out to people on LinkedIn, I don’t think I would
have ended up where I am now.”

However, Richard’s resettlement wasn’t all plain sailing and he did face a few challenges along the way; such as industry choice, not having the commercial experience and finally how to approach an interview and tailoring his CV. He feels had there been more guidance on the different career paths his transition may have been smoother, further commenting:

“Soldiers don’t all experience the same thing when they serve and most gain different qualifications. I think I would have found it beneficial if someone had spent more time discussing which industry and roles would be better suited to my skill set.”

In Richard’s new role, he coordinates the subcontractors and materials, all activities are carried out in accordance with HS&E standards, legal requirements which includes safety inductions for new trades or visitors to site. Always ensuring a high standard of quality is met
by the trades, checking each build stage is completed on time and with minimal defects, followed up with a final snag before releasing a plot to the customer.

A typical day for Richard begins with the Site Manager and Assistant Site Manger to discuss the build program, followed by some site inductions and a site walk to check the trades are doing what is required, complying with Health and Safety and then reacting to any pending issues. There are usually plots to snag and hand over with his day normally ending by completing his portfolio and CIOB course work.

Richard’s main transferrable skills learnt during his military career include; organisation, communication, man management and decision making.

Richard’s advice for those leaving the military seeking a new career in the Construction sector was:

“Don’t be afraid to jump into the industry, even if you have no or little previous experience. Most of the companies I spoke to during my transition were willing to take a risk with ex-forces personnel, they have started to appreciate our transferable skills. Make sure you research which role you’d like to go for, be it site management or trade. This will give you an idea on how to use your resettlement grant.
Before going to an interview, make sure you do your research; who the CEO is, what areas they operate in and a little bit of history. Most of all, don’t sell yourself short, you can bring a lot to the table; you just need to show them you’re worth taking the risk.”

And finally 3 words to describe a career in construction:

challenging, rewarding and reactive.