Case Study 1

Rebecca Hudson is a Delivery Manager at Nationwide, joining the building society through its Military Transition Programme. Rebecca left the British Army (Royal Logistic Corps) as a Captain in August 2016, after ten years of service. Along with eight other ex-military personnel, Rebecca trained for just three weeks for the role of Delivery Manager – a position in which she manages work streams within specific projects.

“We need to dispel the myth that ex-military types walk straight in from the battlefield and shout at everyone, with no discernible skills other than how to fire a gun.

“This happened to my husband, who left the Army three years before me, when he was interviewing for a job as a secondary school teacher. The headmaster assumed that he had no leadership experience – clearly this isn’t the case for officers who command groups of soldiers! There are widely varied roles in the Army and a huge amount of managerial experience up for grabs, for corporals and upwards.

Rebecca Hudson

“It’s a case of educating employers – particularly those smaller companies in the private sector – and publicising the civilian-recognised qualifications that many veterans have as a priority. I left the service with a range of qualifications, from a Diploma in Nutrition to an ISO 9001 lead auditor award, all of which are relatable to employers. The key for employers is to understand that these skills are transferable and directly applicable to their businesses.”