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Ex- Officer is on the road to success again!

Ex- Officer is on the road to success again!

Donovan said, “The staff have all been very encouraging and supportive to me, I have found employment and have been able to use my transferable skills to hopefully extend my career and get back into training again at some stage”

Donovan joined the British Army at the age of 17 after attending an Army recruitment fair at his local park. “As soon as I saw what I could achieve in the Army, I knew it was for me” explained Donovan. At aged 17, Donovan had a year to wait before he could progress with the Army and so he completed Dual Licensing and carried out Vehicle Recovery Training to enable him to become a Truck Driver.

Whilst in the Army, Donovan carried out a lot of operational driving and was involved in patrols in Belfast in the 1970’s. “I have always enjoyed working with a team and you can’t work as a lone wolf in this job” said Donovan.

After being fully trained, Donovan moved on to become Staff Sargent, delivering training to new recruits within his division. In 2009, Donovan was made redundant which un-nerved him, he felt the hedge of protection the military had always provided him disappear.

Donovan came to Darlaston JET to find out what work was available and fortunately a position was made available straight away with an agency as a Driver, giving Donovan an opportunity to get back into work. “It was difficult for me to start all over again, at the age of 50 and after serving for over 30 years, I wouldn’t of expected to start looking for employment but this has worked for me and I'd recommend it to anyone who was looking to get their work life back on track.”