Life after the uniform – Morals, ethics and education

With the industry looking for ways to increase their efficiency, including sustaining, maintaining and operating their equipment at optimal levels, Defence personnel are prime staffing candidates.

According to Kremer, the industry hiring former service people is a good thing for Defence.

“I think it would pay them (Defence) to have that in mind when they look to attract and train the uniformed workforce,” said Kremer.

“There are a lot of them that can, if not actually do, move into an industry which is ultimately an input to capability.”

Kremer believes that a key part of the transition from Defence to the industry is a matter of educating and correctly assessing the individual.

“We really start with just trying to understand what their expectations are, and what their drivers are for leaving  uniform,” he said.

“That’s true if they’re coming out of a non-uniform background as well, but it’s particularly important in uniform, because many people like myself, I had no experience outside of Defence.

“I didn’t really know what I didn’t know – that was a reality. We look to educate people on that.

“It’s not a move that I suggest people take lightly, because it’s hard to go back to Defence. It’s a very different culture on the outside.

“It’s a way of life in Defence. You won’t find most of the things you have in Defence on the outside.

“I think the important thing for Defence people to prepare for is to really try and understand the values and cultures of the organisations that they’re joining because Defence has a very strong and very defined culture.

“One thing that I learnt when I left was that that’s not universally shared in the business world.

“One piece of advice I would love to pass onto people looking to leave uniform is: you do not need to compromise your morals, your ethics, the culture that you hold dear in Defence, to be successful out and about.”