An initiative to persuade more ex-service personnel to transfer their skills into new careers to meet the growing demands of East of England’s energy industry took another step forward this week.
Around 60 people, equally split between industry and the military, met at the Sportspark UEA, Norwich, to share information on the much-needed skills and to discuss job opportunities in the offshore wind, oil & gas and nuclear sectors.
Among those attending the event, organised by EEEGR (East of England Energy Group), was Andy Holyland, a sergeant in the Royal Engineers at Waterbeach, who said afterwards that he was opting for a career in the energy sector rather than move to Kinloss when the Army barracks closed at Cambridge.
From Mundesley, he was well aware of the potential of the offshore industry but the career prospect only opened up to him through contact with EEEGR and the Skills for Energy partnership. Now he has landed an interview for a managerial and training role with a local energy company.
“Without the help and direction of EEEGR, and the networking opportunities, I would never have got this far,” said the 31-year-old who joined the Army from school 15 years ago.
Matthew Pamplin, who is leaving the RAF , said he’d met with Kip Morton from Forces4Energy and Charlie Morris of RES Offshore. “It was really helpful to be able to discuss prospects, courses and CV content, and to be given some direction. Above all, it was great to meet people who have done something similar.”
Ex-RAF man Ian Moulton said: “I was lucky getting a job with Perenco; the guy who hired me loved ex-military because he knew he could put that individual in any environment and he would never be let down. The job would always be done.”
CV ‘speed dating’ sessions were held during the day to give potential recruits as much help as possible when applying for jobs in energy.
There were presentations from companies such as Perenco, 3sun, RES Offshore, Tyco and Turbine Efficiency while Philip Watkins, of Eastern Edge, and Dan Benson, from Cooper Lomaz, looked at some of the ‘softer’ skills needed.
Celia Anderson, EEEGR executive director, was delighted at the event’s success. “What we hoped this day could do is provide meaningful impact for those who attended. These events try to help people to make informed decisions on their second career. What we know about this event is that military will get jobs as a result of attending.”
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Press release, October 18, 2012; Image: TMS Media