“I joined the Armed Forces at 18, straight after completing my A Levels knowing that I didn’t want to go to university, but also that I was keen to start a career that offered me training and development opportunities. The Royal Navy signed me up to a 4-year electrical engineering apprenticeship, which resulted in me gaining a HND (Higher National Diploma) as a recognised civilian qualification. The opportunity to travel was also one of the things that motivated me to join the Royal Navy in the first place, and I was fortunate enough to have extensive deployments around the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, plus an operational tour in the Middle East during the second Gulf War”.

“After completing my training at HMS Collingwood just outside of Portsmouth, I was tasked with running my own section within the Weapons Engineering department on a series of Type 23 Frigates. I headed up the team that specialised in looking after the maintenance of one of the vessel’s primary defence systems, the radar tracking and vertical launch missile equipment known as Sea Wolf, designed to launch against any incoming surface-to-surface or air-to-surface weapons that threatened the safety of the ship and her crew”.

“Having completed a successful stint as a non-Commissioned Chief Petty Officer, I sat my Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) and was selected to join the Royal Navy College Britannia where I trained for a year as a Warfare Officer responsible for navigating and operating the ship from the bridge. It was during this time that I really began to develop the communications and leadership skills that have benefitted me greatly during my current career”.

“After leaving the Royal Navy, I took up a position at an engineering consultancy, specialising in designing equipment for use in the UK’s nuclear decommissioning programme. Although I was using my electrical engineering skills, I developed a passion for the project management aspects of the role and undertook further education to gain qualifications both with the Association for Project Management (APM) and Open University. It was this change in my career path which led me through a series of project and operations management roles to where I am today; as a Sector Manager for Actemium Design UK within the VINCI Energies UK & RoI pole”.

“My advice to anyone leaving the Armed Forces to take up a new career in civilian life is not to sell yourself short. The technical skills you will have developed are massively valuable to employers and are in great demand. But not only that, it’s the behavioural traits that really make ex-servicemen and women stand out from the crowd. The ability to be highly organised, self-motivated, maintain professionalism under pressure and, most important, successfully work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds makes people leaving the Armed Forces a valuable member of any team.”  

Aidan McManus, Sector Manager, Actemium Design