The logistics sector should be looking to capitalise on military redundancies this summer according to a former Army Officer who is now MD of a recruitment agency for ex-military personnel. With the second round of Armed Forces redundancies due to be announced in June, Nick Everard of J1 Consulting anticipates that many highly qualified former servicemen and women will be entering the civilian job market this summer.
"The fact that the Armed Forces are downsizing means that many of the most proactive people are taking advantage of the redundancy packages on offer, as they see limited prospects in a reduced military," explains Nick. "From my own military service and over 12 years in business since, I know that these highly trained servicemen and women have valuable skills which are directly relevant to areas such as logistics, telecoms and engineering."
The Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010 laid out a significant long term redundancy programme. The Royal Navy and the RAF are tasked with cutting 5,000 jobs each by 2015, and the Army is to lose 7,000. The Government also announced the closure of approximately half of the UK's Army recruitment centres at the end of April.
"The reality of running a military organisation has many factors in common with running an international fleet of multiple carriers," explains Nick. "For example, a Captain in the RLC with seven years' service would have a range of skills and experiences relevant to middle management within the logistics process in a global company. These skills would include project management qualifications from PRINCE 2 upwards, which in most cases will have been operationally proven. Similarly, anyone who had served as Operations Officer in a logistics regiment would have the required knowledge of warehouse and transport operations."
Based in London, J1 Consulting (www.j1consulting.co.uk) specialises in the vetting, sourcing and placement of ex high grade military personnel into commercial client vacancies. "Because our company is staffed entirely by ex-military, we understand what candidates can offer, and which precise military background can meet any specific client's needs," comments Nick.
Nick Everard had a 22 year career in the Army, culminating in a command of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers from 1996 - 98. He served operationally in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Bosnia and as an instructor both at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the Army Staff College before leaving the Army midcareer as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1999. Since then he has held senior appointments in the FTSE 100 Capita Group and in World Challenge, a provider of adventurous overseas expeditions to the schools market.