Here at Cygnet, we want to shine a spotlight on some of our colleagues who have transitioned from military life to civilian life, and are now working at Cygnet, helping to improve lives together.
Emma’s Story
Emma’s an Occupational Therapy Assistant based at Cygnet Appletree in Durham and she’s currently on Cygnet’s Apprentice OT pathway.
Aged 16, Emma left school and joined Army Foundation College where she began a 6-year career as a Plumber in the Royal Engineers and completed a tour of Afghanistan in 2009.
On leaving the Army, Emma knew she wanted to work in healthcare and wanted to be an A&E Nurse. She completed her adult Maths & English qualifications through the Army Transition Programme and then began a health and social care course.
She explained: “I began looking for jobs and was lucky enough to be accepted as a Bank Support Worker at Cygnet Appletree which was then a long-stay rehabilitation unit and later, a female acute and PICU. I picked up 5 shifts a week and loved working in the environment. I had to learn new skills such as hospital policies, how to manage risk, and how to complete observations but I found that the skills I’d developed in the army helped me transition with ease.”
After 5 years as a Support Worker, Emma moved into the Occupational Therapy department at Appletree, and found her true passion. She was able to transfer even more skills learned in the Army, including; adaptability, resilience, collaboration, problem-solving, and creative and critical thinking.
She added: “Working in mental health was something that had never crossed my mind but IT IS the best thing I ever did and now I’m training to become an Occupational Therapist.”
Mark’s story
In 1999, Mark joined the British Army and served for 22 years, reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two.
Throughout his military career, Mark was deployed to various locations including Bosnia, Iraq, Poland, Cyprus, and Morocco. His final role in the Army was as a Regimental Administration Warrant Officer, which involved responsibilities such as; line management, HR, appraisal writing, payroll, auditing, data security, and other financial transactions.
After leaving the armed forces, Mark pursued a career in Payroll & Accounting. He initially worked as a Bookkeeper and obtained his AAT qualification. However, he found that bookkeeping did not provide a sense of achievement or allow him to fully utilise his acquired skills. After 18 months in this role, Mark interviewed for a Funding & Payroll Administrator position at Cygnet.
He said: “Joining Cygnet has allowed me to showcase skills I obtained within the Military such as hard work, proactivity, robustness, prioritising, team-working, problem-solving, and attention to detail. I take great pride in my work and each day I now gain a sense of achievement.”
The military has the core values of courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty, and selfless commitment, Mark continues to uphold these values and brings them with him to Cygnet.
“I am so pleased that I accepted the job offer for my role within Cygnet, I look forward to coming into work every day, as I work with people who make me smile,” he added.
Ross’s Story
Ross served in the Royal Air Force Fire and Rescue Service for 22 years, from 1991 to 2013. His career in the RAF took him worldwide; from Afghanistan to San Diego, to the Falklands and Canada.
Attaining the rank of Sergeant, Ross unfortunately suffered a life-changing injury which ultimately led to a medical discharge. But, in his final years and during the Resettlement period, Ross served as RAF Waddington’s Fire Safety Officer, gaining civilian-recognised fire safety qualifications through NEBOSH and Fire & Engineer professional accreditations with the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers and the Institute of Fire Engineers.
With a passion for all things fire safety truly ignited, Ross began his civilian career as a Fire Safety Manager for a large retail company. Finding the transition to Civvy Street relatively easy, Ross says it’s mainly thanks to his strong work ethic and his ‘can do’ attitude installed in him by the military that has allowed for this ease of transition.
“I found the transition to civilian life relatively easy thanks to the work ethic and ‘can do’ outlook instilled by the military from the first day of training to my final day in uniform,” he explained.
After several years in retail-based fire safety, Ross spotted the position of Fire Safety Manager here at Cygnet. Ross believed that working in a healthcare setting would provide him with the fresh challenge he was looking for.
“I arrived at St Augustine’s for my first day as Cygnet’s new Fire Safety Manager, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Embedded within a dedicated team of health and safety professionals, Ross admits that his learning curve was steep but enjoyable, with no two days being the same. He especially enjoys the mix of working from home and visiting Cygnet sites around the UK, as it fits perfectly with his lifestyle. Each Cygnet site has its specific fire safety issues that require a custom-designed approach. Ross’s mantra is always ‘Improvise, adapt, and overcome’, a phrase he adopted from his time in the RAF, and one that he applies to his current role.
Jo’s Story
Jo served for 6 years in the British Army from 2012 to 2018, and during that time was posted to Germany for 2 years followed by a tour of Afghanistan, before returning to the UK.
The transition from the Army to civilian life is never an easy one, says Jo.
“When I made the decision to leave, I wanted to be part of an organisation that made a difference.” she said.
Jo currently works in Cygnet’s Central Function team as an HR Business Partner. In her role, she supports several sites with any employment-related issues and also helps manage activities such as training and development, retention, and performance management.
Jo was able to transfer her certifications and qualifications in Leadership and Management, Education and Training, and complete her CIPD Level 5 diploma in HR Management.
“My time in the forces helped me develop as an individual and I was able to use the skills that I learned, such as making assertive decisions under time constraints, being able to communicate with different stakeholders, and adapt to different environments.”
Although Jo initially missed the camaraderie when she left the Army, she says that she was welcomed into the Cygnet family by a caring and understanding team and she’s since made strong bonds with colleagues.
“I can honestly say I am proud to be part of a company that champions mental health and wellbeing.”