November 2018

Forces to Roofing
BUILDING FUTURES FOR VETERANS
Can former service personnel help plug the construction skills gap? Total Contractor met up
with three finalists from the recent BMI Redland and Icopal Apprentice of the Year
competition – all ex-armed forces – to find out more about their experiences.
Every year, 14,000 service personnel leave
the armed forces. Many of them struggle to
find jobs, often because would-be
employers dismiss their military experience as
irrelevant for roles in civilian life.
However, now the construction industry is looking
to plug into this largely untapped resource to help
it meet its skills shortages. Organisations such as
BuildForce and CTP (see box) are working to link
individuals with the right roles. They feel that
former service personnel possess a host of skills
and behaviours that can be successfully applied
on construction projects and can make very
motivated and focussed employees.
Evidence of this came in the list of finalists in this
year’s BMI Apprentice of the Year competition,
where three of the finalists had come from
careers in the armed forces. Their stories
illustrate why construction and ex-service
personnel can be a good fit.
“I’m motivated to do my best”
Oliver Drew made a conscious decision to leave
the army in search of a trade. As a Scots Guard
based in London, he was missing his home in
County Durham. As well as being part of a
reconnaissance and sniper platoon, his role
included guarding Buckingham Palace and
Trooping the Colour.
One of the attributes that his five years in the
army gave him is the determination to succeed.
“I’m motivated to do my best, no matter what I
am doing in life,” he explained.
He found roofing almost by chance, when a friend
suggested that he should apply to the roofing firm
he was working for, Stanley firm Hodgson-Sayers.
Oliver won an apprenticeship after three rounds
Top left: Ceiran Peel-Price spent four years as a gunner in a
tank regiment and has since set up Peel-Price Construction.
Above right: Oliver Drew (centre), was a Scots Guard but
since leaving won an apprenticeship with Hodgson-Sayers
and hasn’t looked back. Right: Tom Thompson suffered PTSD
after leaving the army but found roofing work with A. L. King
and is enjoying a successful career.
of selection at Hodgson-Sayers, thanks in part to
the behaviours he had learnt in the army. “Timekeeping,
good presentation, quality workmanship
and a good standard of dress are all important,”
said Glyn Neasham, the Regulatory Affairs
Manager who manages the Hodgson-Sayers
apprenticeship programme.
Oliver recognises many similarities between his
former and current roles. “I love working outdoors
and I like hard work,” he told us. “All the things
I’ve learnt are useful, like punctuality and
discipline – you need that to make sure you’re
safe while working.”
“There are so many transferable skills”
Ceiran Peel-Price had always wanted to join the
army, and he hugely enjoyed the four years he
spent as a gunner in a tank regiment. However,
injuries to his knees while on active duty put paid
to his dream career.
Ceiran’s route to roofing was through DIY. He and
his wife bought a 1940’s house on the Wirral
which needed updating. They hired a builder to
complete the work and Ceiran started to labour
for him to save on costs and found that he
enjoyed the work.
In and amongst a series of four knee operations,
Ceiran completed a bricklaying course at his
Bolton College – while simultaneously holding an
apprenticeship with Les Perry Roofing Contractors
which operates in the Wirral.
Now Ceiran runs his own business, Peel-Price
Construction. “It’s a no-brainer for service people
really, there are so many transferable skills”, he
explained about his move from armed forces to
roofing.
“I thought that’s it: active, fast, skilled
and a team!”
Tom Thompson’s story illustrates some of the
challenges that ex-service people face. Many of
them are left with mental wounds that can often
be exacerbated by the lack of a job to occupy
mind and body.
46 TC NOVEMBER 2018