Embracing a skilled workforce

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MORE than 15,000 ex-service personnel join the civilian job market through the Career Transition Partnership every year. Aberdeen-based Electro-Flow Controls (EFC) is one firm which has embraced this skilled workforce.

EFC is a designer and manufacturer of instrumentation, monitoring and control systems for safe and hazardous areas, and its project engineers are required to travel worldwide.

Sales director Ted Littlechild said: “The nature of the industry we work in is one of strict safety regulations and tight deadlines. The skills of many service personnel have been tested in highly pressurised situations and we can be confident that they will fit into our team well.”

But he added: “Businesses should be aware that the working environment is very different between the services and the civilian industries, and, for some people it can be a bit of a culture shock. Our human resources department delivers a detailed induction programme to all employees and is on hand at all times to discuss any issues.”

Gordon Masson, who left the RAF three years ago to join EFC and is now a project engineer, said: “After 22 years in the RAF, I can’t pretend that joining EFC wasn’t a daunting prospect. Service personnel are used to changing environment and learning new skills, but most of us don’t recognise exactly how valuable we can be to a company. The team at EFC were aware of the skills and knowledge with which I left the RAF and my position was developed to benefit both myself and my employer.”