Your future needs you

Today’s Armed Forces are a far cry from the ones that fought in the Second World War and very different to those that liberated Kuwait in 1991. While many of the personal qualities needed for operations are the same ones that leaders from Hannibal to Wellington have valued so highly, modern warfare is a far cry from firing on the upward roll, forming squares and spotting artillery fire from balloons.

Even a few years ago, military training was a much simpler exercise in terms of both technology and potential roles. It was much easier to prepare for a narrower spectrum of tasks against clearly identifiable threats rather than today’s ‘go anywhere, do anything’ requirement. Some 25 years ago, well within living Service memory, a GSM (Northern Ireland) was as much as most people could hope for; now we measure operational experience on the second row of ribbons.

In personal development terms, too, things have moved fast. There was no accreditation and very little application for Standard Learning Credits (SLCs) or their equivalent. A few enlightened souls, intelligent eyes bulging behind horn-rimmed spectacles, worked on self-improvement, but most people succumbed to the herd instinct in which ‘school had been dreadful and studying was a waste of valuable drinking time’.

Not any longer. Both resettlement and personal development have serious money and impetus behind them. While traditional values invariably take time to change, numbers registered for and drawing Learning Credits are higher than anticipated, and vastly greater than would have been imaginable just a few years ago.

In part this reflects an increased emphasis on learning throughout the UK, or at least for the majority of people, and so the authorities must step forward for a medal. The government has placed learning at the forefront of its agenda and the MoD has implemented promises made in the Defence Training Review. Resources have been made available, and commanders at all levels have personal development somewhere on their agenda. It still may not be as high on the list as the professional educator would wish, but at least it now appears on the radar screen.

Training staffs should also accept a round of applause. A great deal of very hard work has gone into the accreditation process through which military courses earn civilian qualifications. This is immensely valuable for the successful student as it builds up a portfolio of skills that will be recognisable in the future. Finally, the professional educators and resettlers deserve a great deal of credit. Like chefs, they seldom attract rave reviews, but it has been hard graft over a period of years that has improved the service they offer out of all recognition.

A great deal of effort and money has gone into the provision of these new facilities, with a number of Service people already taking full advantage of them. Some may have a valid reason for delay in starting a self-improvement programme, but many will have signed up for the ELC scheme purely because their boss said it was a good idea and the easiest course of action was to do what was suggested.

The business of planning for the future deserves to be taken more seriously than that by everyone who has ambition, drive and the desire to succeed in life. Taking full advantage of what the authorities have offered is common sense; turning it down is throwing an opportunity in the bin. Few civilians are given anything like this level of financial support and advice because no one in business could afford it. It provides the Service person with the chance to get ahead of the competition, and that is a very good place in which to be.

In this edition of Questlook out for the updates that are included in our articles about some careers that are popular with Service leavers. In particular, the government plans to spend over £75 billion on new homes, roads, schools and hospitals over the next five years, and this means that 88,000 new recruits will be required each year in the construction and building trades sectors. At the same time, plans are afoot to make a Level 2 qualification the mandatory minimum for anyone working on a building site. Put these two facts together and it is easy to see that employment and training in the sector is set for take off.

New rules are also in place in the close protection sector. So far, they apply only in England and Wales, so that recent leavers heading for the Middle East in search of quick and easy megabucks are not affected … yet. The Security Industry Authority (the industry watchdog) has decreed that all CP operatives must be licensed by 20 March next year. This involves attending a course with an approved training provider (none has yet been authorised), passing an exam and paying £190 for the privilege of wearing a badge that tells the world the wearer is properly licensed. So check that your CP trainer is going to be qualified under the scheme, or find one that is.