The armed forces provide a wide scope of training that makes Service Leavers fantastic prospects for job roles in the demolition industry. As well as being natural team players, they’re used to getting results in stressful situations. It’s also likely that individuals coming from an Armed Forces background will be well trained for taking up leadership positions and managing groups of individuals with different skill sets.

There are some obvious reasons why someone leaving the Forces would be a significant asset to recruit into the demolition industry, including:

  • History of discipline and training
  • Motivated & Adventurous
  • Socially positive use of local resources

However, the Demolition environment has a relevance that many other career options don’t have.
Military personnel are trained:

  • To be aware of risks and make constant assessments
  • To be resilient and able to work effectively in challenging conditions
  • To work effectively in a team environment
  • Make good decisions and solve problems as they arise

With significant uncertainty around the U.K’s position as part of the European Union, it’s very hard to estimate how many jobs are going to be available in the next five years, but we do know the current skills shortage is only going to worsen. We’d like to see this an opportunity to revitalise Demolition with competent people who could become the future leaders of the industry – these individuals could come from the Armed Forces.

Demolition Contractors can expect to hear more over the coming months about a new initiative established to promote the UK demolition industry as a viable, attractive, and accessible career option for ex-military personnel.

It will focus on targeting those leaving, or potentially looking to leave the Armed Forces, raising awareness for career prospects in demolition and describing how the industry has advanced beyond recognition from the bygone ‘knock it down and clean up the mess’ image to the sophisticated and professional deconstruction process it is today.

Those leading the initiative include;

  • Careers Transition Partnership (CTP), who assist ex-military personnel in their transition process out of the Forces.
  • NFDC, representing accredited demolition contractors of varying sizes across the UK and a recognised preferred supplier for the CTP
  • NDTG, bringing the knowledge, training advice and means to transition ex-military personnel into demolition career pathways. Also a recognised preferred supplier for the CTP.
  • NFDC ISP Members specialising in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition for the demolition industry, such as Number 8 Resourcing
  • Major UK Contractors who are keen to address the skills shortage in the industry and have requirements for new recruits with transferable skills to a demolition work environment.

NDTG specifically are working to identify multiple routes for ex-Forces personnel to pave their way to a successful career in demolition. The win-win intent behind these routes ensures that Demolition Contractors reap the rewards of their investment in training ex-military and in turn that the ex-military personnel can benefit from a long and fulfilling career in the demolition industry. One of the ways we are working to facilitate the move into a demolition career is by providing a comprehensive list of employers who would be interested specifically in applications from service leavers. These resources are updated regularly and are available as a List Of Recruiters In Demolition For Service Leavers which is downloadable from here.