26 | AUGUST 2019
Skills
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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 per-
sonnel 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 manage-
ment and teamwork skills is to investigate
the pool of military leavers available. These
transferable attributes are a valuable re-
source for the construction industry to help
bring in skilled young workers.”
Why do people leave
the military?
Life in the Armed Forces requires specific
demands that aren’t found in civilian jobs.
When deployed, military personnel can find
themselves away from their families for long
periods of time, often in dangerous situa-
tions. Yet despite this, we found that the
most common reasons for military person-
nel to seek a new career path are down to
more familiar concerns:
• 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.
The work ethic for
‘ military
leavers is
This has led to a staggering 42% of mili-
tary personnel actively searching for a new
career outside of the Armed Forces over the
past 12 months.
Why choose construction?
The construction industry is currently
suffering from a skills shortage, resulting
in a need for over 200,000 more workers
by 2020. 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 num-
ber 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 po-
sitions, which is perfect for ex-officers who
have experience leading teams and getting
results in difficult situations.
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 sur-
vey results, 82% agree that they have
confidence in themselves as a team,
plus, 78% believe their team know
exactly what their responsibilities are
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 construc-
tion industry looking for a dedicated
new workforce, finding employees
who take pride in their work is cru-
cial.
completely different
from civilians
’
• 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 author-
itative, respected managers is the solu-
tion the industry has been looking for.
Samantha Gregory, Training Coordinator
at 3B Training and former Vehicle Mechanic
in the REME, knows firsthand what ex-mili-
tary 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 min-
utes 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