Claire Allen, Commercial Administrator in the Salford, U.K. office. She joined MWH in May of 2013 and recounts her transition from the Armed Forces to working in the private sector.
Claire during her time in the Armed Forces
I was born and raised in Lincoln, England after leaving school I attended Lincoln College studying Law, Psychology and Sociology. I was interested in joining the Armed Forces from a young age after hearing of family member’s experiences, after chats with recruitment officers I decided to join the Royal Air Force where I enlisted as a Personnel Administrator. I did a total of 7 years’ service and I left to relocate with my family after my daughters were born. In my time in the RAF I did two detachments to the Falkland Islands which was a great experience it is somewhere not many people will get to visit, on one tour there I was involved in the arrangements of the visiting families from Argentina on the very first visit since the war where they could actually pay respects to their buried soldiers.
Moving into the private sector was unusual as I was in the RAF straight from leaving education; I was excited to gain different experiences, moving into an engineering company was an exciting challenge and has provided many new experiences. When I joined MWH in 2013 it was an easy transition, all the staff were friendly and my managers were great. I have increased my qualifications and gained expertise within the industry and have connected with fellow veterans - joining the Armed Forces Steering Group [an internal affiliation group].
My military background has aided in my current role as this is where I got my confidence to deal with people, and my experience of handling many types of situations in varying circumstances. My advice [for those who are returning service members] would be regardless of your skill set, a career in this industry is possible. I do not have a background in Engineering, Consulting or Construction and have found a role that suits me really well in a team that works well together.
Read more stories of fellow Veterans working at MWH
