Alistair Halliday, CEO RFEA - The Forces Employment Charity
“HMS Manchester… I was playing on the bridge wing once and… the Club Swinger… came out and started doing The Sailor's Hornpipe… and so I was… on my accordion and she was dancing it superbly... and then… we had an idea, 'Let's get a team together'. So, we put a thing on daily orders for… 9, a mixture, male and female from the ship's company, and then… she drilled them and trained them and that was our party piece... So for these big receptions, I remember doing one in Quebec and one in Montreal… we'd finish it off with this display of The Sailor's Hornpipe. It was fantastic… a really good way to end at a cocktail party.” 33 years of Service in the Royal Navy, 20 years at sea, 15 or so ships and several frontline deployments have produced many a dit and a Veteran who has, not only made a successful transition into the civilian world, but is now Chief Exec. of the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA), helping around 20,000 Service leavers a year into the world of commercial employment. We talk about the impact of the ending of the furlough scheme and the perhaps surprising upshot of the pandemic, “Now employers are crying out for labour, so it’s a job seeker’s market…” with opportunities in the green energy sector, cyber, tech, distribution, construction and the defence industry. …And of course, many of those dits we mentioned, thrown in for good measure *practices The Hornpipe*Hosted by Steve Bomford and Mike Davis-Marks.Find out more about the Company of Makers or sign up to our newsletter.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.If you’re a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help. Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. We’re especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.To find out more contact us.