In January, Amey officially became an Alliance Partner of 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 been actively seeking opportunities to meet with Service leavers and veterans to talk to them about what we do and how their skills can help us improve our service to the military community.
Last month, Richard Castell, Amey’s Operational Relationship Manager, attended the first BuildForce event of the year, accompanied by Vikki Breen, Amey’s Senior Recruiter, at the Piccadilly Gardens Hotel in Manchester.
The event was well attended by employers from major construction and Facilities Management companies from across the UK who were keen to talk to Service leavers about some of the opportunities open to them once they leave the Forces.
Around 70 Service leavers milled around the stands for a good three hours and everyone was smartly dressed, very engaging and taking the whole event very seriously. Without exception, all were looking for roles in the construction sector and Richard and Vikki were able to provide guidance and information about some of the roles available, the skills required and the training that Amey can provide to enable them to progress in their chosen career.
Richard said: “It was a great day and we received some very strong CVs. We’re already in the process of arranging for one candidate to attend an interview for a Project Manager role we have in London. Many were surprised at how the skills they learnt in the military can easily be transferred to roles such as Project Managers, Logisticians and Mechanical and Electrical Engineers and that their MOD clearance can be a real advantage when seeking roles within Defence contracts. We look forward to attending the second event in May which will take place in the South of the country.”