Facilities Management - Case Studies

Rank on Exit: Warrant Officer

Years of Service: 22 Years

Qualifications Gained: BIFM qualification

 

In 1997, Warrant Officer Class 2 Gordon Hitchen came to an end of a 22-year engagement in the Royal Signals. Now aged 50, the combat lineman and driver specialist had spent his career in the UK, Germany and Cyprus, and had been Mentioned in Despatches for Northern Ireland service. He now rates experience in management (of people, organisations, programmes and projects, health and safety, and logistics) as important in his new career.

 

A Career Transition Workshop ’opened my eyes to opportunities’, and he also took an ‘excellent British Institute of Facilities Management course at the Aldershot Resettlement Centre. This provided background and insight into the industry, and led to a BIFM qualification.’

 

It took Hitchen nine months of sending out CVs to find his first job as a £10-perhour temporary health and safety adviser for Transco. A few months later he joined Johnson Controls and, six promotions later, he is well into his current role as Business Improvement Director on a BBC contract, ‘providing value for money services and risk mitigation to ensure a safe and sustainable environment to work in’. This involves the management of all catering, cleaning, maintenance and security, and to remove all risk for the customer in their business critical environments.

 

‘I like all aspects of my role; it is different every day and you meet a variety of people. I enjoy the customer engagement and staff development, helping others achieve their potential. I have almost tripled my salary in the last ten years.’