Our teams are hugely proud of the support we provide to the UK’s Armed Forces and their families through our Defence contracts and despite the current COVID-19 challenges, we continue to work with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and our supply chain partners to ensure the MOD’s 47,000 Service family homes and 23,000 buildings are kept operational, compliant and safe so our brave Service personnel can fully focus on their operational responsibilities.
However, our support goes much further than delivering planned and response maintenance, and grounds maintenance across the MOD estate. We also support SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, BuildForce, the construction led military recruitment programme, Women in Defence and the Open University’s Disabled Veterans’ Scholarship Fund, helping Service leavers make better and more informed decisions about their future career choices so they can reach their full potential once they leave the Forces.
At RAF Cosford, in our Regional Prime Central contract, our teams jumped at the chance to provide a six-week work placement to a young Corporal who is currently preparing to leave the RAF and who has set her heart on becoming a qualified gas engineer.
Corporal Nichola Barron said, “As anyone leaving the Armed Forces will vouch, it is extremely daunting making the transition to becoming a “Civvy”, and my chosen path and goal for civilian life is to become a qualified gas engineer. Part of this journey includes the need for a practical and hands-on work placement, so I began to approach local businesses to see if anything might be available for me.”
Unfortunately, Nichola’s search for a suitable placement proved unsuccessful until a chance meeting with Squadron Leader Ian Gould at RAF Cosford who said he could potentially solve her problem but would need to make a quick phone call first. Within a few days, Sean Byrne, from Wulfrun Building Solutions, Amey’s trusted local supply chain partner, stepped in and invited Nichola to join his team of gas engineers on site.
Nichola said “My mentor was Daniel Guy, who has worked on the defence contract for many years. On my first day I had an induction and met the team. I was also provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), my work uniform and learnt about the background of the company.”
Nichola spent six weeks working with Daniel, undertaking various gas related tasks around the Station, all of which had to be documented for a portfolio of evidence. Nichola shadowed the team and learnt how her military skills could be utilised in her new career. She even had the opportunity to get involved with some basic plumbing jobs, which she found really beneficial.
As the placement ended and Nichola continues to prepare to leave the Forces, she said “I cannot speak highly enough of Wulfrun, in particular, Sean and Dan. Their professionalism and dedication to me and the Station as a whole, was second to none. I have met some of the hardest working and talented engineers, and the wealth of knowledge and experience they have is immeasurable. I can wholeheartedly say I have learnt a vast amount from these guys, and I am incredibly grateful for being allowed this opportunity. They are a massive asset to RAF Cosford and its personnel and I personally will not forget the encouragement and dedication they showed me during my time with them.”
Squadron Leader Ian Gould added “Following on from Nichola’s comments I’d like to add my appreciation of the generous offer made by Amey and its contractors Wulfrun. The current COVID-19 effort at RAF Cosford has brought out the very best of the teams on this site – and that the service and delivery we have received throughout has been nothing short of exceptional. To summarise; we really are appreciative of all that has, and is, being done by Amey and Wulfrun staff and management to keep normal business running as much as possible.”