Takunda Chabva left the Army in 2015 after 13 years serving in the Army, latterly as Lance Corporal. After deciding that the construction industry was where he was heading he studied for a B.Sc.(Hons) Construction Management, graduating in May 2018. The main challenge he found after leaving the forces was how to present his military experience and skills to the corporate world. As he explains:

“Realising that my military career had so many relevant and desirable skills and then conveying those to employers was hard at first, but you learn quickly!” He is a great believer in preparation and planning, and thinks that the events, resources and opportunities are out there, as long as you’re ready to take advantage of them. After signing up with BuildForce Takunda applied for and was successful in being offered the role of Graduate/Assistant Site Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, He uses a range of skills in his job that he says he learned in the military, including communication, leadership, planning, decision making, problem solving and self-discipline. A typical day at work now includes going through emails, site inductions to sub-contractors, site walks to conduct inspections, health and safety management, meetings with the client and site team, site diaries, progress reports and processing requests for information.

Asked what advice he would give to someone leaving the Forces who was considering a career in construction:
“Preparation, networking and research is key. The construction industry is always evolving,
and every project is unique, and you are always using the latest ways of working.
Construction never stands still and neither will your career!”