Transferable skills:  Military to Civilian 

So you’ve been serving in one of the most challenging and demanding jobs, exposed to hostile and volatile environments, risking your life to protect Queen and Country and for whatever reason, you’ve decided the time is right to transition out.

You’ll probably experience many different emotions even before starting the actual transition, excitement, anticipation, scared, anxiety, worried, concerned, panic.  

You’ll probably not want to admit most of these – but what do I know I’m just a civilian.

For the last five years, I’ve been working with the Career Transition Partnership, an organization that exclusively works with the MoD to support veterans on their journey from army life to transitioning to civilian life. It’s a group of individuals I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with and it’s incredibly rewarding and a little humbling at times.

Here are just a few of the generic transferable skills a service leaver can bring to a business;

Transferable Skills:

  • Leadership
  • People Management
  • Project Management
  • Observational Skills
  • Health & Safety Awareness
  • First Aid
  • Problem Solving
  • Communication
  • Planning & Organising
  • Trade skills (Engineering)
  • Teaching
  • Coaching & Mentoring
  • Personal Development
  • Cultural Awareness & Respect
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Resilience
  • Relationship Building
  • Adherence to policies & procedures
  • Auditing & Compliance and much more

Values & Standards

  • Courage
  • Discipline
  • Respect
  • Integrity
  • Loyalty
  • Selfless Commitment

This is what you’re likely to get as standard when you hire a service leaver, although I think most will agree these skills are exceptional. We forgot to mention their great sense of humour and they like a bit of banter too. For truly insightful stories and to understand opinions and views from people who have been there and done it, you may wish to visit: Veterans Network created by and dedicated to Soldiers and their inspiring stories of transition.  Founder Mr. Jamie R. Kennedy. 

Additional Resources available for our veterans

The infographic focuses on facts about how PTSD affects servicemen and women.

Some of the highlights of this infographic include:

  • 65,000 WWI veterans were still being treated for ‘shell shock’ 10 years later
  • PTSD in the US affects 31% of veterans
  • 1 in 3 people develop PTSD after a traumatic experience
  • Under 18s are significantly more likely to suffer PTSD when leaving the forces
  • 93% of veterans are ashamed or embarrassed about their mental health problems
  • 62% of PTSD sufferers also have current or past alcohol or drug problems
  • 3/4 of veterans on average resolve symptoms with counseling

Without further ado, here’s the infographic: