Synopsis
Serving your country in the Armed Forces is an honourable achievement and a career path that tens of thousands of men and women choose every day. But what happens when these people leave the forces? The structure, discipline and values instilled into military personnel are undoubtedly skills which employers find desirable – but a transition to civilian life can be tough, especially if leaving the forces wasn’t an active choice.
From family issues to injury or redundancy – a swift exit from the forces and an unplanned return to civilian life can leave many struggling to adjust – let alone enough time to consider their next move career-wise. For Octavian Security, recruiting former members of the Armed Forces into the security industry is part of its business model.
The company prides itself on using the skills ex-military personnel have developed in the forces to forge lasting careers in the security industry, easing the transition into civilian life and offering opportunities to learn, develop and form working business relationships.
In this article, Nathan Potter, Operations Director at Octavian Security, explains his background in the Armed Forces and why Octavian favours former military personnel. In fact, Nathan’s entire operations team is formed of ex-military staff – with backgrounds ranging from infantry and cavalry to military police. Nathan will also explain a programme to provide work experience for injured troops, something which he hopes instils a level of dignity and respect.
He said: “We provide work experience for injured troops because, despite the best intentions, paths back to work for wounded ex-military still leave a lot to be desired. We provide the opportunity to try different roles within Octavian prior to being discharged, which allows people to decide if the security industry is right for them. Too often these people, who have injured themselves protecting our country, are treated with too little respect and dignity – which is why we work closely with charities such as the Regular Forces Employment Agency (REFA).”
Octavian also works closely with former Gurkhas, who now form 10% of Octavian’s workforce. This is in part thanks to Octavian’s special Gurkha recruitment days – with the company invited to attend the Brigade of Gurkha’s recruitment day in Aldershot for the past two years. This initiative allows Gurkhas to gradually leave the military over a 12 month period – allowing them to network with employers and build prospects whilst still being paid for serving.
From providing work experience for injured troops to skydiving to raise funds for military charities and providing recruitment programmes for foreign and commonwealth soldiers, this article will explain how Octavian is setting the standard for military recruitment into the security sector.
Case studies
Lee Simpson (25)
Lee joined the British Army’s Royal Engineers as a bricklayer, serving for five years. Life in the army suited Lee down to the ground, but a wave of redundancies meant he found himself back in civilian life sooner than planned. After leaving the army he knew that he best chance of employment lay in security – with his quick thinking, ambition and discipline making him perfect for the role. Within a month Lee had secured full time employment. He admits that although he’s been out of the forces for 18 months “you never really leave” and finds himself using the skills he was taught in the army to make his security duties run smoothly.
Raj Nembang (36)
Raj served as a Gurkha in the British Army for 14 years before relocating to the UK as a security guard for Octavian. After reaching the end of his contract as a Gurkha soldier, Raj spotted an advertisement for Octavian online and has now been working for them for almost a year. With a strong Gurkha community within Octavian, Raj has settled into his role well and enjoys most aspects of his position – from talking to new people to performing patrols and looking for solutions to problems. He found the transition to security a simple one and knows that a lot of the skills he developed in the army make him a desirable employee.