At The FirstPort Group, we believe in creating a workplace where veterans feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. This commitment resonates with Rikki, a veteran and a Head of Operations at The FirstPort Group. Rikki shares with us his journey from the Navy to civilian employment, and why he believes The FirstPort Group is a great fit for veterans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rikki\u2019s armed forces journey began when he joined the Royal Navy in 1997. Inspired by conversations with servicemen while working in Plymouth\u2019s dockyard, he was drawn to the opportunities for camaraderie, structure, and personal growth that the military offered. He served until 2003 and says the transition out of the military was not easy. \u201cWhen you leave the military, you almost feel a bit like an orphan, it’s like I\u2019d been thrown out of the house at 16,\u201d he recalls. Fortunately, Rikki quickly secured a job in security, progressing later to roles within the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Rikki progressed in his career, he came to appreciate the importance of a job with clear structure, a strong support network, and leadership that allows people to grow and contribute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He explains: \u201cFirstPort has a clear management structure. If you\u2019re performing well, they trust you to get on with it. And if you want to progress, they\u2019ll give you those opportunities.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rikki says he often encourages former military colleagues to consider roles in The FirstPort Group, particularly those who miss the stability and purpose they had in the service, adding: \u201cWhat veterans want is stability and function. They want to know there\u2019s a clear management structure. But they also want the independence to make their own impact, which FirstPort offers.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rikki believes veterans bring unique transferable skills to civilian roles. He explains: \u201cThe most important thing is to recognise the skills you bring from the military \u2013 discipline, resilience, adaptability \u2013 and find a place where these are valued. FirstPort is one of those places. There\u2019s stability here and a sense of purpose.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also new skills to learn whilst working at The FirstPort Group. \u201cMy communication skills have gone through the roof since joining,\u201d Rikki says, emphasising how working with a diverse team has helped him bridge gaps and engage effectively with people from all walks of life.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n He added: \u201cThe principles I learned in the service \u2013 honour, respect, loyalty \u2013 are values FirstPort also embraces. It\u2019s a place where veterans can continue to be part of something bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FirstPort Group is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, showcasing its commitment to the Armed Forces Community. This includes promoting the organisation as an Armed Forces-friendly business and recognising military skills and qualifications in its recruitment and selection processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To search our latest jobs in your location and across the UK, click here<\/a>. Or you can contact our recruitment team at <\/span>careers@firstport.co.uk<\/span><\/a>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At The FirstPort Group, we believe in creating a workplace where veterans feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. This commitment resonates with Rikki, a veteran and a Head of Operations at The FirstPort Group. Rikki shares with us his journey from the Navy to civilian employment, and why he believes The FirstPort Group is a great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-firstport-careers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1498"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1566,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions\/1566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstport.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The value of veteran skills<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n