As a recognised Armed Forces Employer with the Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award, we take great pride in employing and supporting those who have served in the forces. We thought what better way to help other veterans adjusting to and settling into new roles outside of the forces than by asking the veterans within our team to share some words of wisdom.

At Bytron we have a variety of ex-service people in different roles throughout the company; so lets see what they had to say when we interviewed them…

 

Tim Skinner, Product Owner for skybook

Tim served for 12 years in the Royal Air Force. Serving as an Assistant Air Traffic Controller before becoming an Air Traffic Controller. Now in his role at Bytron Tim is our Product Owner for skybook, responsible for the planning of the production teams work and assigning work into releases. He maintains the various backlogs and ensures the customers’ requirements are clear.

 

What has it been like adapting from a role in the services to your new role?

"My wife is still serving in the Royal Air Force so I haven’t had to completely adapt as I can still enjoy the RAF lifestyle.  Adapting to work after the RAF was very tricky at first and it wasn’t easy to find the role I original had left for.

 

How do Bytron support you as an ex-service person?

I am currently working in Cyprus as my wife is currently serving a 3 year tour abroad without the support of Bytron she would not have been able to accept that tour and she would have lost out on a fantastic career opportunity.

 

Why is Armed Forces Day important to you?

I still have many friends and family that are serving in the Armed Forces and any opportunity to support them whilst reflecting back on my previous service is great.  Members of the Armed Forces should be proud of everything they do and to see the support from non-military people is fantastic.

 

Did you pick up any invaluable skills whilst in the service that help you with day-to-day life/work? Or have any advice you’d like to share?

Main skills that I picked up and help me now are teamwork, a good work ethic and prioritisation skills.  I joined the RAF when I was 18 and that shaped me into the person I am now.

 

What words of encouragement would you provide to someone looking for a new career after leaving the armed forces?

Transition from the Armed Forces is daunting especially if it’s all you have been used to! If you take from the Armed Forces all you have learnt and practise that in Civvy street, you are already at an advantage."

 

Sean Mclean, Customer Account Manager

Sean served in the Royal Navy for just shy of 8 years as a Warfare Officer. He sub-specialised as a Mine Warfare Officer, deploying on operations to the Middle-East on several occasions assisting in safeguarding the flow of international trade in the region. Sean has been with us at Bytron as our Customer Account Manager for 2 years.

 

What do you do now?

"I am the Senior Customer Account Manager at Bytron, where I work closely with customers such as Boeing to use the software systems we provide to their full capabilities. I also work with new prospects to understand their flight ops end to end data requirements, and demonstrating how skybook can help them find efficiencies in their workflows. 

 

What has it been like adapting from a role in the services to your new role?

I left the Royal Navy in 2015 and have bounced between several management roles across a range of industries. Although each role has been rewarding, I have found it difficult to find where I fit and ultimately match the buzz I had from service life. The varied day to day activities I undertake at Bytron have finally filled that gap for me, and I am now pleased to say I finally feel settled. 

 

Do you have any memorable or funny stories from your time in the service you’d like to share?

I have fond memories of crossing the Arctic Circle and the Blue Nose Ceremony onboard HMS Ark Royal in 2008. I had plenty of runs ashore in countries I may not have had the chance to visit, and opportunities to see amazing sites such as the Northern Lights at sea and the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. 

 

How do Bytron support you as an ex-service person? 

I really enjoy the flexible working environment that I have in my role at Bytron. No two days are the same, which is similar to life as a Warfare Officer. I have been given opportunities to travel, manage projects and also take on greater levels responsibility as I have grown into the role.  

 

What words of encouragement would you provide to someone looking for a new career after leaving the armed forces?

There is life outside of the Armed Forces, but from my experience it is best if you have a plan for when you do decide to leave. Take advantage of the Career Transition workshops and Learning Credits you are provided with, as these will give you a head start. Network, network, network. There are some great veteran recruitment schemes to be part of, and networking with like-minded people will always open doors for you."

 

Vicky Lockyer, Technical Author

Vicky served for 26 years in the Royal Air Force as a mechanical aircraft technician, her last posting was as the Rectification Controller on a fast jet squadron operating Tornado GR4 aircraft. At Bytron, Vicky is our Technical Author, responsible for writing the release notes and user guides for skybook and our lead internal auditor for our ISO certification.

 

What has it been like adapting from a role in the services to your new role?

"I left the RAF in 2017 and had a few jobs prior to this one and I initially found leaving and working in ‘civvy street’ very different. I am enjoying not having the responsibility of 80 personnel!

 

Why is Armed Forces Day important to you?

It’s nice to think there is a day for people to celebrate the sacrifices made by those who serve. However, Remembrance Day holds far more significance for me.

 

Do you have any memorable or funny stories from your time in the service you’d like to share?

I have many memorable and funny stories; however, I am giggling writing this as I can’t think of any of them that are appropriate to share!

 

Did you pick up any invaluable skills whilst in the service that help you with day-to-day life/work? Or have any advice you’d like to share?

I joined up as a kid aged 17 and the RAF made me who I am today, so this question is very difficult to answer. However, the biggest takeaway from my service is teamwork.

 

What words of encouragement would you provide to someone looking for a new career after leaving the armed forces?

Take advantage of your resettlement grant and any useful courses. You will always have the support of the CTP after you leave and it's not time barred, so definitely use them as the support is invaluable."

 

Our plan for Armed Forces Day

We currently have a team who are set to take part in an Armed Forces Day skydive in aid of Help the Heroes charity. A fantastic cause dedicated to helping those who have left the forces find somewhere to live, work and a place in society. To find out more about the jump or donate towards Help for Heroes please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bytronskydive?utm_medium=qrcode&utm_source=offline&utm_term=9dca5338c