November 2018

Former Scots Guard Oliver Drew says the discipline he
learned in the army helps keep him safe on site.
Ceiran Peel-Price now runs Peel-Price Construction and says
“there are so many transferrable skills” from army to roofing.
Tom Thompson receives his BMI Redland Apprentice of the
Year Highly Commended Award from Andy Dennis.
“All the things I’ve
learnt are useful, like
punctuality and
discipline – you need
that to make sure
you’re safe while
working”
Tom’s army career ended as the result of a hugely
traumatic event that left him, and many of his
fellow soldiers, suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). On July 10th 2009,
soldiers from Tom’s unit – 9 Platoon, C Company,
2 Rifles – started out on a routine patrol from
Forward Operating Base Wishtan, Sangin,
Afghanistan, but after only a short time were hit
by a ‘daisy chain’ of Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs).
On hearing the explosions, other members of 9
Platoon raced to the aid of their comrades.
Having retrieved the wounded, the group was
returning to base when it was hit by a second IED
daisy chain. In a few short minutes, almost half
of 9 Platoon’s strength of 30 had been killed or
injured, with five men dead.
Tom’s PTSD meant that he was unable to
continue in active service, so he switched to the
role of physical training instructor and left the
army at the end of his contract. He spent a
difficult first six months, struggling to sleep,
spending long hours in the gym and sometimes
drinking too much. However, he then spotted a
career in roofing – quite literally – through his
window at home, while watching two roofers at
“It’s a no-brainer for
service people really,
there are so many
transferable skills”
work: “I thought that’s it: active, fast, skilled and
a team! This is what I’m looking for,” explained
Tom. Tom found Melksham-based A. L. King,
which was able to take Tom on as an apprentice.
He did extremely well, even coming second in the
national SkillBuild finals in 2017. He followed this
up in 2018 with a Highly Commended place in the
Pitched Roof category of the BMI Apprentice of
the Year competition in June.
Tom explained why roofing works for him: “I knew I
didn't want a job that was nine-to-five and I knew I
needed a trade. I was looking for something that
kept my mind working, hands busy and where I
could be proud of the finished product.
“I would recommend it to anyone coming out of
the services – and would say, never be afraid to
re-train. There’s a lot of support available – I got
tons from my tutor and training is there from
manufacturers like BMI too.”
What these individuals’ stories illustrate is that
there are plenty of similarities between
construction and military careers. Both tend to
involve a series of projects or postings. Both
require punctuality, reliability and the ability to
follow rules and procedures. Both require strong
team work to deliver successful outcomes.
For companies reading this who are looking to
recruit motivated, hard-working team members, exservice
people are definitely worth a second look.
“I was looking for
something that kept my
mind working, hands
busy and where I could
be proud of the
finished product”
Where to look
If your business could benefit from the skills
and experience that ex-service personnel could
bring, there are several organisations that can
help make a match. It’s not just trade level roles
that could be filled; there are people who could
be managers, HR professionals, trainers,
logistics experts, to name just a few.
Government-sponsored recruiter Career
Transition Partnership (CTP) targets
construction with its Forces in Construction
Insight days. A recent one was held in North
Wales in October in partnership with CITB,
Coleg Cambria and Kier, and backed by a huge
number construction companies including BMI.
BuildForce was set up in January 2017 with the
remit of connecting ex service personnel with the
relevant job vacancies construction companies.
It now has nearly 70 members, among them
main contractors, trade contractors, trade and
professional organisations and charities.
www.ctp.org.uk / www.buildforce.org.uk
Contact BMI UK & Ireland
www.bmigroup.com/uk/
@_Redland
@Icopal_UK
NOVEMBER 2018 TC 47