During Armed Forces Week 2024, we are honoured to shine a light on some of the fantastic veterans that we have working at Pall-Ex Group. The veterans within our business bring an extensive skill-set from the military, including leadership, resilience and determination and we are proud to celebrate and honour them for their service to our nation.
Having signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019 and receivers of the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award from the Ministry of Defense, Pall-Ex Group aims to be the employer of choice for those leaving the military and looking for a new career path.
John Bisland –Hub Manager
“I joined the Armed Forces in June 2004 and served for a total of 11 years. I was part of the Royal Corps of Signals, where I specialised in Communication and providing ground to ground and ground to air communication. Whilst serving with the Royal Signals, I developed a diverse skill set, including training to become a mountaineering instructor and a jungle welfare instructor – both of which taught me an array of transferable skills. Since leaving the Armed Forces, I have worked in Logistics for 10 years, spending nine and a half of those with Fortec and Pall-Ex. The logistics industry is a fantastic career pathway for veterans, thanks to the stability and self-development opportunities available. It also helps to be surrounded by others that come from a military background.”
Craig Brown – CPC Trainer
“I first joined the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in 1977 and served for 16 years. Whilst in the Armed Forces, I was deployed to the Falklands, Ireland and Belize during conflicts, serving in the position of Troop Sergeant Major. I oversaw a team of sixteen men during deployments, which taught me strong people skills and the importance of leading a united team. I also learnt to drive a multitude of different vehicles and trained to become a drill instructor, driving instructor and arms instructor. I have now worked in the logistics industry for 18 years and my military background has been paramount to the success of my career. Ex-service personnel are taught to work well both on their own and in a team, have excellent problem solving skills and are always punctual, making them great additions to any logistics companies in particular.”
Garry Metcalfe – QHSE Advisor
“I served in the Armed Forces for 23 years, joining The Corps of the Royal Engineers in March 1997. My last job before leaving the Forces was working as an Operational Training Instructor at the Mission Ready Training Centre, where I worked for ten years. We conducted pre-deployment training across the Tri-Services for both military and civilians deploying on all UK operations globally.
Specifically:
Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract (SERE) this included Land Survival Instructor, Desert Survival Instructor and Extreme Cold Weather (Arctic Warfare Course).
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Operational Instructor.
Skill-at-Arms Instructor, delivered training from the very basics of weapon handling in all current in-services small arms, right up to Advanced Combat Marksmanship.
Countering the Explosive Ordnance Threat Instructor.
Working in an instructional environment instilled a sense of obligation in me, knowing that I held the responsibility of training personnel on how to mitigate risk in hostile environments. It was my job to instil confidence in their personal abilities and to trust their training when and where they needed it most.
The main skills that I developed whilst serving were leadership, resilience and the importance of instruction. Any former military personnel with significant experience understands the importance of order, method, process, procedure and consequence, which are all vital skills for the logistics industry and contribute to making it a fantastic career pathway for any service leavers. All of those who serve in the military are taught specialist skills that can be applied to any area of work and with the Army investing heavily into training and personal development, many veterans possess the necessary qualities to set them up for success in the logistics industry.”
If you are a veteran or a soon-to-be military leaver, Pall-Ex Group is committed to supporting ex-military personnel with jobs and access to training and qualifications. View our current vacancies here and discover your new career path - https://www.pallex.co.uk/vacancies