Page 258 - Working-and-ageing-Guidance-and-counselling-for-mature-learning

3062_EN_C1_Layout 1 11/23/11 4:22 PM Page 252

Working and ageing
252 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

have difficulties to see themselves in a civilian role: ʻthe only way to stop being
a military officer honourably is to retire – or to die in combatʼ (human
resources); ʻin units there is enormous comradeship. Many people who have
left miss this. Solidarity within the armed forces is large. Many who have left
long to be backʼ (union).
There are mixed opinions on how attractive military competence in fact is
in the civilian market. Respondents stress leadership, but there is some
mistrust: is military leadership applicable outside the army?: ʻofficers have
sometimes a competence that is in demand, particularly if they have good
supplementary education. To have military competence alone doesnʼt suffice!
Training in leadership is not enough, it is good, but it needs to be further
developed, in particular for commercial jobs with budgetary responsibilityʼ
(commanding officer); ʻit is said that officers are well received everywhere, but
I feel thatʼs not always the case, they are old fashioned, hierarchicalʼ (human
resources); ʻcivilians have a specific competence, but what do I know as an
officer?ʼ (human resources); ʻmany officers lack competence for civilian jobs,
they have no academic backgroundʼ (union); ʻthey match the civilian market,
but you need to switch to another branch and then there is a need to develop
some things, particularly in economic depression, for instance administrative
systemsʼ (outplacement).
Admittedly, the competence of officers is difficult to validate for civilian job
profiles: ʻit is […] hard to get a picture of the leadership and the training we
offer. Employment consultants run their models, and then military officers and
their competence are left outʼ (commanding officer).
How to develop clarity when it comes to competence? It is suggested that
education needs to be university-based to a larger extent. You may also
develop an internal system for competence mapping: ʻwhat is needed is
adequate documentation of professional obligations. Job descriptions would
help internally and externallyʼ (commanding officer).
According to outplacement consultants, other typical characteristics for
officers include: their communicativeness, sociability and flexibility, and that
they can handle several tasks and obligations concurrently. This may however
be valid more for those who apply and join the programme than for the
population at large.