Step 3: Learning
Step 3 is learning.
An important development as a result of this research is a focus on not only the recognition of existing skills but the availability of training programs that encourage adaptation to learning in the civilian environment and instil confidence in the former service worker of:
1. their ability to adapt and learn outside the service organisation, and
2. their ability to grow and develop outside the group collective that is strongly apparent in the service organisations.
Encouraging learning amongst these individuals helps shed previous titles and starts the process of disconnecting their identity by providing them with new tools and skills to redefine themselves in the workplace. It helps the former service workers to understand how they are perceived by the civilian world and the adaptations they can make to be confident operating in the new environment. In turn, new employers will have greater confidence in the individual worker and more easily recognise not just their newly learnt skills but also the full picture of their abilities when new skills are combined with existing skills.
“Military and police participants indicated that with persistence and new learning, they could transition to new sectors and begin to understand how their skills were transferable. They were learning that they needed to let go of the fact that they were a police officer or a soldier, and to adapt in the civilian world by denying how things used to be and focusing on what skills were acceptable to continue to use.”
— Dr Kate Martin
Learning Options
Career Force staff can offer you advice on what learning pathway may best suit your personal experience and future goals moving forward.
You may wish to study to achieve a new job or just learn something new.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Certificate I, II, III and IV to Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Graduate Certificate and Diplomas
Vocational level training is focused on building workplace knowledge and skills where you achieve a Nationally Recognised Qualification. Your first step is to have your current skills assessed via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) with our specialised RTO:
If there is an area or qualification you wish to achieve but additional (GAP) training is required, CLET Training will offer an online option if they have it available, otherwise, they will are available to provide recommendations on other suitable RTO’s who can help you with this.
Skill Sets and Short Courses
If you wish to participate in smaller nationally recognised courses CLET Training offers a variety of skill sets and short courses that include 3 to 4 units of study.
Areas of study include:
Investigations
Crime and Justice
Project Management
Emergency Management
Legal Services
Government
TAFE
If you are interested in entering a trade, see your local TAFE or private trade college for information.
University
Bachelor, Graduate Certificate and Diplomas, Master and Doctorate levels
If you wish to pull up your sleeves and really make a long term change, a university degree can help you build a whole new perspective on life, a new way of thinking, give you an amazing sense of achievement and launch you into a new professional pathway where you will never look back.
Click on the link to access the full list of 43 Australian universities and enjoy researching options that excite you.
“When I left the AFP earlier than expected, I was not sure what I would do next, as policing was my career choice. So I went to a career advisor who suggested with my experience I should teach. I liked that idea and enrolled in a Bachelor of Adult and Vocational Education that prepared me to teach in secondary school and vocational sector. I also threw my hat in the ring to study a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the same time to formalise my policing experience with a degree. I was accepted into both and graduated in 4 years. I have been successfully working in education for 26 years now.”
Step 4:
Prepare for re-employment
Apply for a new job that interests you, that has new challenges and a new, refreshing and positive organisational culture