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Name: Stephen Woods
Rank on Exit: Sergeant
Years of Service: 25 years
Qualifications Gained: Open University business qualification
Two years ago Stephen Woods completed 25 years’ service with the Royal Engineers as a bomb disposal specialist. The 44-year-old Army Sergeant, who had deployed to such hot spots as Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sierr a Leone, Afghanistan, Kenya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had also obtained credits towards an Open University business qualification.
He finds very little of his Service training or experience useful in his new job and detects no similarities – ‘I work by myself not in a team, and have to be self motivated. The hours I work are much more,’ he says; and he reports a significant difference in salary. Worst is ‘chasing people for settlement of contracts.
Woods’s resettlement training consisted of a bathroom installation course, which he did not find well run and useful. He set up his own plumbing and heating company and then was selected through interv iew to work as an engineer in Caterham Garrison on call-out and new build projects. ‘I run my own heating and plumbing business installing, serv icing and maintaining domestic appliances. I run property maintenance contracts together with tending for other installation business.’
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