Are Ex-Service Personnel Employable?

The popular belief that armed forces personnel are just trained to mindlessly follow orders, even though modern warfare has effectively become a  high-tech, skilled game of chess is one that the armed forces is very keen to change.

As civilian society recognises transferable, key skills and lifelong learning, the armed forces feels it has to persuade the world that ex forces personnel are extremely employable.  It also needs to convince the personnel themselves that they are receiving skills in their service careers which will enhance their chances of gaining employment in civilian life.

The change or for some return to civilian life can be a culture shock.  Finding a job, particularly when employers are cautious about skill transfer, can be even harder.

New research has found that ex forces personnel go through a change of life, a transition or “military mentalpause”, when they leave the forces (J.McDermott, 2009).   This condition has not changed in more than a hundred years.

The good news is that the study also found some do well when they leave the forces and return to civilian life.  The skills they learn during their time with the armed forces translate well to civilian jobs.  They are generally used to planning, organising, being part of a team and leading projects, they also have a positive work ethic.

The UK has a high number of ex forces personnel.  The myth that many service personnel with specialist skills take up security jobs has been reversed by the University of Leicester’s research.  Many find employment in a wide variety of occupations after service life.

Employers, however, remain largely unaware of service people’s roles and how they can fit in to the work environment.  The number of ex forces personnel using their marketable skills in employment remains far short of potential.

For personnel leaving the armed forces things are improving and the position is getting better, slowly.

Thanks to Jo-h for a fantastic picture