Clearview National December 2019 - Issue 217 | Page 74
BUSINESSNEWS
Why a career in construction/
fenestration could be the
next step for ex-military
» LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF
people employed in the British Armed Forces
numbered nearly 150,000. Of those, over
80,000 employed in the British Army and over
30,000 in the Royal Navy.
However, over 14,000 people leave the
military every year. This has become somewhat
of a blessing for the construction industry,
as it has created a sea of potential employees.
Over 200,000 extra workers are needed before
2020 and ex-military personnel have highly
transferrable skillsets and the potential to
reach the top of the industry.
Ryan Latham, Senior Marketing Executive
for 3B Training, has experienced firsthand how
businesses can benefit from hiring ex-military
personnel.
“Construction as an industry is growing,
but it’s also is experiencing a gap in skills. An
excellent way to fill in the hole for personnel
with leadership, project management and
teamwork skills is to investigate the pool of
military leavers available. These transferable
attributes are a valuable resource for the
construction industry to help bring in skilled
young workers.” This has led to a staggering 42% of military
personnel actively searching for a new career
outside of the Armed Forces over the past 12
months.
WHY DO PEOPLE LEAVE
THE MILITARY?
• Job satisfaction - Only 55% of military
personnel claimed they were generally
satisfied with their job.
• Pay satisfaction - There has been a
consistent drop in pay satisfaction since
2010, with only 31% currently admitting
to being happy with their salary.
• Life satisfaction - When questioning
their happiness and how worthwhile they
feel the things they do in life are, at least
one in five members of the military rate
them as low. WHAT MAKES EX-MILITARY
PERSONNEL A DESIRABLE
WORKFORCE?
When working in the armed forces, you
receive a level of training that simply isn’t
available in other career paths. Regardless
of their previous role, leavers are all highly
disciplined and have fantastic teamwork
skills.
• According to the Armed Forces survey
results, 82% agree that they have
confidence in themselves as a team,
plus, 78% believe their team know
exactly what their responsibilities are
74 » DEC 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
WHY CHOOSE CONSTRUCTION?
According to the Royal Institute of
Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the lack of
skilled workers in the UK is the highest
level since 2007, meaning the government’s
initiative to build 300,000 new homes each
year looks optimistic at best.
Former military personnel have a great
opportunity to fill the construction skills gap.
There are many sectors in the Armed Forces
which provide their personnel with a number
of highly transferrable skills, whether that’s
engineering, mechanics or electronic.
Working in construction allows leavers to
put their experience to good use in a number
of potential opportunities. The industry is
not only in desperate need of construction
workers but also manager positions, which
is perfect for ex-officers who have experience
leading teams and getting results in difficult
situations.
and that their team can be relied upon
to help when their job gets difficult. A
strong team that can work well together
and keep their cool under pressure is
exactly what the construction industry
needs.
• Many working in the military are
proud of the work they do, with 50%
of the Royal Marines claiming that
their service inspires them to do the
best in their job. With the construction
industry looking for a dedicated new
workforce, finding employees who take
pride in their work is crucial.
• Leavers are not just job applicants
to the construction industry, they’re
assets. Due to their experiences in
the Armed Forces, they can pick up
skills much faster than most people
in civilian professions and can help
quickly fill the large skills gap. A team
of highly trained, dedicated workers and
authoritative, respected managers is the
solution the industry has been looking
for.
Samantha Gregory, Training Coordinator at
3B Training and former Vehicle Mechanic in
the REME, knows firsthand what ex-military
can offer the construction industry.
“The work ethic for military leavers is
completely different from civilians. It is
embedded in us to turn up on time (5 minutes
before 5 minutes early) and to just get the
job done. Leavers are great at working under
pressure and are taught to work through
problems ourselves and come up with practical
solutions. They can work with anyone and
take instruction well.”
www.3btraining.com