With around 14,000 personnel leaving the Forces each year we’re keen to tap into this pool of talent. In January, we formed an alliance with BuildForce, an industry led programme that aims to reduce the skills gap in the construction industry by recruiting ex-military personnel.
Since then we’ve attended recruitment events and taken part in an online seminar to help Service leavers reach their full potential once leaving the Forces. We have have secured interviews for six Service leavers in our Defence business, ranging from Site and Delivery Managers to Project Managers, with one returning for a second interview. We’ve also successfully secured employment for two Project Managers, with more in the pipeline.
Andy Wilmer, a Project Manager in our prison contract, served 13 years in the Royal Engineers before becoming injured on a training exercise and being medically discharged in 2015.
Andy found the transition into civilian life difficult and had several jobs until being offered a Project Manager role in Amey. He’s passionate about supporting other Service leavers who are looking for new career opportunities and often share his experiences of working at Amey with them.
Andy said: “I feel proud to be working for Amey who are so positive towards ex-Forces and veterans in general. I know that veterans have a lot to offer businesses like Amey. They have a good work ethic, they are adaptable and are able to solve problems themselves and I’m always keen to support BuildForce to help get this message over to Service leavers.”
Richard Castell, our Operational Relationship Manager, who was also a Colonel in the Army for 33 years, is the driving force behind our relationship with BuildForce:“Since becoming an Alliance Partner we have been privileged to support a number of BuildForce events that has allowed us to meet some high-quality individuals who are interested in working in the construction industry.
“The support we’ve had from our own employees has been outstanding. When we asked for volunteer mentors we received an overwhelming response and now have around 40 active members at all levels and across the whole business, proving that our people really are committed to supporting our Armed Forces.”
If you are from the Armed Forces community and would like to find out more about careers at Amey please visit https://www.amey.co.uk/letsjoinforces.