Veterans Transition Programme

Programme Benefits

The programme is designed to enable you to explore an in-depth personal analysis and bring about a change of awareness of your personal strengths and values. This will open up options for you and enable you to find your best fit in the civilian world, bringing you fulfilment with stability at a time of adjustment.

In 2010, I started organising and running augmented coaching sessions for service personnel in the British Military who were in the transition phase from a military career to a civilian career. 600 successfully transitioned personnel later, I was honoured and humbled to win the 2019 Special Recognition Award from the National Mentoring Awards for this programme, having been nominated by one of the service leavers.

The programme is designed for service personnel who are coming up to their transition from military to civilian careers and contains 12 sessions which cover all the necessary activities to make the transition as smooth as possible for you and your family. It is designed to be worked through at the pace that best suits you, which will depend on your current role, time to transition and other claims on your time. In an ideal world, I would recommend a session a month starting 15 months before your transition. In the real world, take these at your own pace according to your priorities.

The benefits a military/law-enforcement leaver would get from working through the programme

The generic transition training offered to some military personnel, understandably, does not cover individual needs. This programme does, it is designed around you and your requirements, giving you time and space to work through what you need to transition successfully into your next career.

We all have biases, prejudices and inaccurate preconceptions that distort the way that we see things. These can be reinforced through conversations with others, particularly if they are in the same tight community where misunderstandings can flourish. A coach can help you see beyond these cognitive distortions. This can be extremely powerful, particularly in reversing self-limiting beliefs.

MODULES

There are three parts to each session: video which covers a series of specific topics; exercises for you to work through; reading on associated topics. Direct email support is available throughout for any clarification required. The more effort that you put into the exercises and activities resulting from the reading and video, the better equipped you will be to make a happy and successful transition to your new civilian life.

Session	Title	Objective After completing this module, you will:
One	What are the biggest differences between military and civilian careers?	Understand the structure of civilian organisations, the different business sectors and roles that are available. Know what your personal values are. Understand what motivates you.
Two	What is my ideal role post service?	Understand what you need to keep in your live and what you need to remove. Understand and organise your priorities. Create a mind map of the opportunities that are available to you.
Three	What are my transferable skills?	Be able to identify your transferable skills. Understand interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Write about your transferable skills in a way a future employer will understand your value.
Four	Partner and family considerations	Have evaluated the different areas of your life. Pinpoint the areas that need the most and immediate attention. Have an understanding of what your immediate family will need and expect from you as a civilian.
Five	What job is right for me?	Be able to identify the job / career you want to have. Articulate what you want to be in the future. Understand what you have to give.
Six	Where am I going to live?	Understand the priorities in choosing where to live. Have a thorough understanding of your financial position and your intended financial position.
Seven	Stepping into change	Be energised about the changes in your life. Understand what you need to do to enable a successful career change. Create a plan of what you are going to do.
Eight	Partner/Spouse session	This session is for your partner/spouse/family to understand the changes you are going through and to appreciate how they can assist.
Nine	Opening doors to my new career	Build your strategic approach to your transition. Create an ‘achievement bank’ for your job application process. Know how to create a useful network.
Ten	The application process	Create a generic CV and covering letter. Understand the job application process. Understand the interview process.
Eleven	What are the surprises in becoming a civilian? How can you look after yourself in your new world?	Be capable of dealing with surprise situations. Have a skills bank to use in your civilian life.
Twelve	Serving and giving to the community as a civilian	Know how to utilise your serving skills in the civilian community.

Mentoring Support Options Available to you

Working with a mentor or coach helps people improve their understanding of complex situations. The exercises and webinars will assist you to understand the complexities of leaving the military, finding employment, embarking on a career and establishing yourself and your families in the civilian world, away from the strong certainties, the clearly defined ranks and roles, the close comradeship and strong support systems that have characterised your military life.

While you will already have access to a wealth of information, it can be hard (and will undoubtedly take time) for you to internalise all that information, to really appreciate what it means for you and your family, and to create connections between the different ideas and pieces of information. Email contact is available throughout this programme, as are monthly discussion webinars. During the monthly interactive sessions, you can bring up contradictions, confusion or concerns you have. Working through these in a safe environment will substantially assist you during this period. If you wish you can add some 1:1 coaching sessions to the programme.

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My career has been about people. I’ve spent many years in the financial and technology sectors as a coach, writer, project manager and communications specialist. I help others to succeed by using my unique mixture of formal coaching practices, a life time’s knowledge and skills and innate empathy. It’s always been about how peoples’ lives are affected by challenges and making them quicker and easier to overcome. This has very much been a two-way process and I have learned a lot and increased my knowledge from the people I have worked with. Now, I have created a series of sessions designed around your needs to support you through your challenging change process through this demanding time in your lives.

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Social Sciences and a Masters in Learning and Development.

I was flattered to be made an Honorary Fellow of the Coaching Academy, a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute, and a Fellow of the British Computer Society.

Got a Question?

If you have a question about our Veterans Transition Programme or anything else, we would be happy to assist. Simply complete the form below and we’ll be in touch.