The FTSE 250 professional services firm FDM Group has placed 600 ex-forces job-seekers into 1,000 roles in the tech and professional services sector.

This is a milestone in their ongoing commitment to “empowering military personnel to enter an exciting career in the IT industry” where under FDM’s ex-forces initiative, 600 candidates, some of whom have been placed in more than one role, have been given a launch-pad into new careers.

FDM started this initiative to help veterans transition from military service to civilian careers, which is known to be difficult, especially if the veteran is long-serving.

The programme builds on the transferable skills gained from military service, such as “leadership, technological proficiency, and analytical skills,” useful for private sector roles. FDM has found that project management is the most common career path for veterans on the programme, with “68% of alumni moving on to become full-time project managers.”

Through the programme, 7% have entered the IT service management sector, including technical support, another 7% have become business analysts, 4% are in consulting, and 3% are working in cybersecurity.

Internally, FDM “has 169 further consultants on-site” where “68% of these came through its advanced training programme.” In comparison, “171 consultants have moved on to successfully transition to a client’s business as a full-time employee” after completing two years of work with FDM.

Rod Flavell, CEO of FDM Group, said: “It’s a great honour to play a role in helping our heroes make the transition into a career in the technology sector, an area which is well-matched with existing skills acquired in military service. Ex-forces personnel also possess key qualities like resilience, ambition, and a strong work ethic, making them very much in-demand with our clients and a perfect fit for our training programmes.

“We’re incredibly proud to have reached the 1,000th placement milestone and would like to offer our congratulations to our existing team members and alumni on this achievement.”

FDM’s 1,000th ex-forces placement candidate, Rosslyn Beattie, added: “Halfway through the Advanced Ex-Forces course with FDM, I got the opportunity to successfully interview with a huge name within the financial services sector! I’m enjoying the course so far and have gained the confidence that I can take my British Army experience and translate it to become a real asset to future clients. I can’t wait to get my new career on the road and would definitely recommend FDM for any service leavers looking for an assist to life after the Forces.”

FDM Alumni and British Army Veteran Jason Woosnam, now Major Incident Manager at JP Morgan Chase & Co, commented: “It all started when I registered for an FDM Insight Day. I always thought I’d fall into a more ‘hands-on’ Network Engineer type of role, but from that day, I quickly saw how a role in #IT Service Management would be the better option for career progression.

“Having signed up for training, the trainers helped me see how the transferable skills I had obtained in the Army could be applied to the world of Business and when I got the chance to apply those skills during my on-site placement with a national Energy infrastructure organisation, I didn’t hold back.

“My advice to new veterans? Believe in your abilities. You have a lot of good experience from the forces that FDM understands and can help you maximise in a civilian career.”

To attend an FDM Insight Day, register here.