Josh Pike served in the Royal Anglian Regiment, attaining the rank of Corporal, leaving in January 2022 after serving for over 10 years. Josh spent most of his career as a section commander (gun line), within a machine gun section in fire support company. He also posted as an instructor at the infantry training centre (ITC Catterick).
A typical day for Josh involved “the development, training, and maintenance of a gun section, from 8 to 12 people on camp. This may involve tailoring a training programme and delivery of lessons. In the field, my role would involve mobilising the section around and ensuring they were in the right place in order to provide fire support onto rifle company troops on the ground.”
Josh’s current role is a Site Works Manager for VINCI, “I found BuildForce after scrawling on LinkedIn for hours. Found their website and registered. Once I was inducted and they reviewed my CV, the opportunities started to arise. BuildForce connected me to VINCI, this led to a few interviews, and I was offered the role.”
Josh would advise other service leavers, “Do not be afraid to reach out to people on LinkedIn or people you have crossed paths with before. This advice was continually offered to me and as a person who was not naturally comfortable with accepting advice from others, I did struggle initially with it. The vast majority of people do want to help and are more than willing, especially the ex-forces network. Don’t expect to be offered a job after every network meeting but take notes and absorb all the information you are given. BuildForce’s virtual career chats with professionals from the construction industry were great and offer a real insight into the industry and specific job roles. Also be proactive; chase leads with network meetings. Follow up on phone calls/emails. It’s easy coming from a military background to expect things to be done for you (it’s one of the perks of the job). ‘civvy street’ is different, you have to go out and make things happen.”
Josh feels his biggest challenge was timeframe. “I joined the Army straight from school so had no idea how long the process is applying for jobs until you start getting interviews or offered positions. Plan well in advance. Start networking and putting plans in place sooner rather than later. Things like SMSTS can be attained early in resettlement. Register with BuildForce ASAP!! It is one less thing to worry about when its crunch time. I also made the mistake of doing no job hunting/CV writing until I finished my resettlement course, which was leaving it late. If you see a perfect role, don’t put off to applying for it (within reason).”
Josh’s current role is within facilities management. “I work at Hyde Park Barracks Cluster which covers surrounding MOD facilities, monitoring and ensuring small projects are delivered to the facilities by liaising with the client and suppliers. A typical day involves going to different sites within the cluster or being at Hyde Park Barracks with a supplier and looking at faults/projects. I provide that information to the client (DIO – Defence infrastructure organisation) and see the project through. I spend a lot of time on the computer which is something I am trying to adapt to as I still button-bash with two fingers and am learning my way around excel.”
Josh’s advice to someone leaving the armed forces and seeking a career in construction is “Be yourself – the best thing about the construction industry is background/roots/values which is the same as the military (within reason again). Back yourself – civilian employers love ex armed forces for the multitude of transferable skills you bring to the party. I know it is a cliché, but it is really true. Be confident in interviews and in networking. You can offer a lot to the party. Also contact BuildForce early as possible, even if you’ve still got over a year. At least you will have access to some of the information available on the BuildForce website. I cannot talk up BuildForce enough. The team genuinely care and want to help you. They are a friendly face at a time where you need it. Their resources and connections are second to none.”
Josh advised “the three words to describe a career in construction include rewarding (tangible deliverables); challenging (my non-construction background) and growth – the sky is the limit, there’s always a bigger project to manage, the room for personal development is second to none.”