Construction - Case Studies

Colin Eileens

After nine years in uniform Corporal Colin Eileens left the Royal Engineers in 1978, having specialised as a Welder and Combat Engineer. He had served in Great Britain, Northern Ireland. Germany, the Middle East and the Far East, before deciding on a career change. Various City & Guilds welding and fabrication qualifications led him to ‘four weeks working as welder in a local engineering company manufacturing parts for earthmoving equipment.’

Finding this job through a local advertisement, he then ‘joined TWI Ltd as a Welding Technician, progressing to Welding Engineer.’ Still with the same company, he is now Section Manager at its Welder Training Centre in Cambridge.

Eileens is ‘responsible for the design, delivery and quality of welder training and qualification programmes, procurement of qualification documentation, and workshop safety. This involves business development, responding to enquiries, site consultancy through to site training needs analysis UK and overseas, and proposal preparation. I also cover technical and practical support for the development and subsequent qualification of weld procedures and welder qualification to international recognised standards in all industry sectors.’

He is currently Training Manager/Technical Expert-Welding with UKSkills, designing training programmes and coaching the country’s welding competitor in the Worldskills 2007 competition. He enjoys all aspects of his job, particularly liking a ‘greater degree of responsibility, meeting a completely different range of targets (quality, competitive, safety, technical, productive and financial) in a commercial environment.’

Published July 07

Richard Jones

Warrant Officer Class 2 Richard Jones left the Army in March after a 22-year career in the Infantry and then the Small Arms School Corps. Aged 40, he had seen operational service in Northern Ireland and Iraq and postings that had taken him all over the world. 'I count determination, endurance, personal discipline and a strong sense of duty as attributes the Army taught me and that have been very useful; as well as a no fail attitude, getting the job done whatever the cost.'

A Career Transition Workshop was followed by an Advanced Craft (Plastering) City and Guilds at The Plastering and Artexing Training School. 'The course was simply outstanding. The instructors were fantastic; they adjusted the content to exactly what I needed as the course progressed. The delivery was at a very high standard and in such depth that I was able to start trading as a self employed plasterer after only two weeks.'

Now self-employed, Jones 'advertised in local papers and yellow pages, and got in my van and went and found work.' His first job was plastering a living room. 'The customer was so impressed that I went back and did the bathroom and kitchen.' Seven months into his new career as a plasterer and tiler, he has worked on domestic and commercial construction contracts, from small patching jobs to four-bedroom extensions and large industrial units. I like being my own boss and running my own routine; and that the amount of money I earn is directly effected by the hours and effort I put in.'

Published December 07

Ian Hickman

When Ian Hickman left the Army 18 months ago after 22 years’ service, he thought that his main transferable skills would be ‘experience of designing, planning, organising and delivering training.’ Following a Career Transition Workshop which was ‘very useful for CV writing and the interview process’, he took a Level 3 CIPD certificate (at his own expense because the resettlement course booked at Salisbury College was cancelled at short notice).

His service as a Royal Engineers communications specialist had taken him all over the world and he had become experienced in the management of people and material resources to support the task in hand. Despite his belief that his future lay in training, an advertisement led to an interview and a job as Operations Co-ordinator with The Homesafe Group PLC. Hickman manages ‘the workload of 10 installation teams of residential and commercial fire sprinkler systems.’

‘I have to liaise with clients to confirm when they want us on site and what they want us to complete. I also have to ensure that the correct resources are available. I did the same thing in the Royal Engineers but it is much more intense in a business. With over 150 projects at the same time, the work is constant.’

He enjoys the hours, variety of responsibilities and good working conditions; dislikes include paperwork. He also enjoys fixed working hours and no external commitments; and finds that his current rate of pay equates to his Army salary once the pension is taken into account.

Published in July 08