Today is Reserves Day and here at Landmarc, we’re joining with people across the UK to show our support for the men and women who make up our Armed Forces community.
It’s a community which is very diverse, comprising not only our serving troops, veterans and cadets but also our Reserve Forces, which account for around a sixth of our Armed Forces.
For Reservists like me, balancing a civilian life with military commitments takes dedication and can often go unrecognised. But thanks to the support of Landmarc, I’m able to combine my day job as a training area operative at Nesscliff camp in Shrewsbury with a rewarding military career as a Reserve instructor.
I’ve been a Reservist for six years now, after 23 years’ regular service in the Army. I’m part of the Sandhurst group, based at the Wales Universities’ Office Training Corps (UOTC), where I train and mentor university students, who are interested in joining the regular or Reserve Army as officers. This includes everything from basic military training to leadership skills.
One of my most rewarding experiences to date was when I was part of the training team for the Cambrian Patrol (CP). Alongside a Captain from Wales UOTC, I trained 12 officer cadets to participate in the CP 2014, achieving a gold medal.
People will often ask me how I manage to fit everything in and manage both my civilian and military careers. My experience from the regular Army has, of course, equipped me with a host of skills – dedication and time management to name a few – and these certainly go a long way in enabling me to fulfil both roles.
However, it’s vital to have a supportive employer, like Landmarc, who operates a specific Reservist policy. This enables me to organise both roles effectively and I’m a real advocate for the benefits this approach can bring to an organisation.
Employers which support Reservists can benefit from a great range of skills – including self-discipline, motivation, team working or the ability to work unsupervised. For example, as well as my range qualifications, I have a range of skills gained during my military career, including a basic military construction course, Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 certification and ASLS, which are easily transferable to my civilian working life.
Here at Landmarc, it’s fair to say that we recognise these values and benefits, having signed the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant and achieving a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award which recognises our flexibility towards employing and supporting reservists.
So what would I say to anyone considering joining the Reserves? It’s definitely not for the faint hearted, but if you have a supportive employer and the drive to make a difference, the results are incredibly rewarding.