A leading South Coast business is putting into practice a national drive to bring more former armed forces personnel into the housing industry.
Persimmon Homes South Coast has taken on three assistant site managers, all ex-military, and all of whom have seen front line action.
Daniel Paul, 27, is a former private in the Royal Regiment of Scotland and served all around the world in his five year army career – including a tour of Afghanistan.
But with a young family he decided the time was right to leave the army and is now learning his trade from the ground up at Persimmon’s Picket Twenty development in Andover.
Daniel said: “The team building qualities that are so vital in the army, particularly on the front line, transfer seamlessly to a construction site where everyone has to pull together to get the job done.
“That and a guarantee of punctuality, key to both ‘industries’, make this new career path an ideal route for former military personnel.”
Kage Brennan, 23, is also at Picket Twenty, but working as an assistant site manager for sister brand Charles Church.
The former Royal Marines Commando, from Portsmouth, served in Afghanistan for seven months, and said if he hadn’t joined the Marines he would have looked for a career in the construction industry.
He said: “There are many similarities between the two; you have to be organised and be good at dealing with people. The Marines gave me a taste of the importance of the change of command role.”
The third recruit is 23-year-old Lewis Little, a former army mechanic working as a trainee assistant site manager at the Charles Church development Emerald Gardens in Yapton.
Lewis was in Afghanistan for seven months from September 2010 and said that although it has been quite a career change, he brings with him many relevant and transferable skills.
“Time management and the ordered sequence of events are both vital on the frontline and on a building site, along with a strong worth ethic and discipline.”
Persimmon Homes recently employed former army officer Tommy Watson to be responsible for recruiting service leavers into positions across Southern England.
Persimmon Homes South Coast managing director Matt Paine said: “We recognise that a lot of people leaving the armed forces have transferrable skills.
“Tommy’s job will be to introduce Persimmon to more of them and fill some of the vacancies we have each year.”
Persimmon South Coast operates new homes developments throughout Hampshire, West Sussex, Wilshire and Dorset. For more information visit www.persimmonhomes.com