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winter 2008 issue
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Lessons in employability from the British Armed ForcesBy Andy Wasley, PR & Communications Manager Britain’s military conducts a huge range of tasks throughout the world, from peacekeeping operations in the Balkans to anti-narcotic patrols in the Caribbean. The variety of skills the Forces’ personnel need is remarkable: transport aircraft cannot fly without logistics personnel to maintain supply chains; ships cannot operate without marine engineers to keep their engines turning; and the Army cannot survive without caterers. Traditionally, those skills, and many others, would support soldiers, sailors and airmen for lifelong careers, but changing employment patterns mean that many service personnel move on from the military into civilian careers, often at a relatively young age. So what can policy makers, practitioners and civilian employers learn from how the military prepares its people to be employable as they make the transition from uniformed life to ‘Civvy Street’? Flying high: skills and IAG are fundamental to the success of the Armed Forces. I believe that the Forces prepare people in two key ways. Firstly, they provide personnel with structured training and development schemes, leading to recognised qualifications. Leadership and management feature prominently for officers and senior non-commissioned officers, with military training counting directly towards qualifications from bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Management. Other opportunities exist for individuals in sector-specific branches to achieve recognition from a plethora of civilian institutions, from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for HR officers and clerks, to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for those engaged in media duties. Since much of the training is job-specific and necessary, the Forces are able to maximise the employability benefits for their professionals without taking on a significant cost burden. For junior non-commissioned officers and other ranks, the Forces build NVQ accreditation into much of their mainstream training, so that military training counts directly towards widely recognised civilian qualifications. For example, during my seven years as an officer in the Royal Air Force’s air defence (Fighter Control) branch, I was frequently called upon to add comments to training logs for aerospace system operators working towards their NVQs in IT. Again, the training and experience were necessary in any case - the Royal Air Force simply teamed up with accreditation bodies to make sure that it counted in civilian life. Although the media scoffs at schemes such as the ‘McQualifications’ offered by McDonalds, the fact remains: training and development in the workplace is a valuable means for people to develop portable skills for employability. Secondly, the military provides an end of career information, advice and guidance (IAG) service perhaps unparalleled in civilian life. Two years before retirement - or immediately for those who choose to leave sooner - all personnel are contacted by the Ministry of Defence’s Career Transition Partnership scheme. This scheme aims to ensure that 100% of Service leavers find employment (if they are seeking it). Each Service leaver is offered a financial resettlement package that, along with the Forces’ other training benefits, provides individuals with opportunities to further develop their skills and gain more qualifications. Money, however, is of little use without guidance. Each leaver is offered continual support by dedicated resettlement coordinators based at regional centres throughout the UK and overseas. An interview with a senior resettlement coordinator ensures that the service leaver knows what his or her entitlements are, and ensures that their unit is able to provide the necessary support. The leaver is given an opportunity to attend a career transition workshop, where they can receive advice on employability skills such as CV writing and interview techniques. Following this workshop, an interview with their dedicated resettlement adviser enables the leaver to identify which skills they need to work on to achieve employability, with their career preferences guiding the process. For those who are unsure about what to do next, this interview can turn into an effective audit of their skills, helping them to identify which career path they are best suited to. Training and IAG are, of course, essential components in anyone’s lifelong career path, be it civilian or military. Civilians - few of whom will have access to an employer-based IAG service - can now hopefully benefit from the services provided by the new Adult Advancement and Career Service (AACS), which aims to provide many of the services already offered to those military personnel who are reaching the end of their careers in uniform. Even as the military adopts more civilian working practices, there are, perhaps, some valuable lessons for policy makers, practitioners and employers alike in how the Armed Forces places skills and IAG at the heart of their personnel development programmes. The views expressed above do not imply endorsement of or by the Ministry of Defence or the Career Transition Partnership. |
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