The following appeared in the Safety & Health Practitioner magazine in June 2007.
Q: I am leaving the armed forces in two years and have been working within an engineering background throughout my career. I would like to begin a career in health and safety. I intend to undertake the NEBOSH General Certificate. What advice can you give me and what other qualifications should I be looking to obtain before leaving the armed forces?
A: Steven Bryan, section manager at Hays Health & Safety, comments:
This is an excellent opportunity for you to take advantage of the resettlement package offered by the forces to prepare yourself for a career in health and safety. I would advise that you complement your NEBOSH General Certificate with the NEBOSH Construction Certificate as this will broaden your skill-set.
It would also be useful if you can gain practical experience by working voluntarily alongside health and safety professionals. These opportunities may be available via the IOSH discussion forum or contacts that you meet on your NEBOSH courses.
It may also be worth seeing if there is an opportunity for you to take on health and safety responsibilities alongside your current role by contacting your unit health advisor, quartermaster or divisional environmental health team.
Gaining a balance between qualifications and practical experience will demonstrate to potential employers that you are committed to pursuing a career in health and safety and will also show that you have technical ability, plus the experience of implementing policy.
If you have any outstanding Enhanced Learning Credits when you leave the forces, these can be used to fund courses specific to the role that you secure. This will help you to fast-track your professional development and also offer an incentive to prospective employers who will benefit from your additional training.
For further information or the latest health and safety jobs, contact Steven Bryan on 020 7259 8724.