A common thread among those leaving the Armed Forces is the daunting prospect of what they will do when they leave? Ben Smith joined Landmarc Solutions in 2019 after a twenty-four year career with the Royal Engineers. We caught up to talk about his transition into civilian life his new career with Landmarc Solutions.

I asked Ben if he had an idea of what he wanted to do before leaving the Army? “I knew what I didn’t want to do but I was clueless as to what my options were. I wanted to try something new in the outdoor sector and it was through the CTP that I found out about the HighGround Rural Weeks.” Ben attended a Rural Week at Bicton College back in 2017. “It left me with lots of ideas and it helped learning first hand about all the different opportunities that the Rural Week offers.”

Was it daunting to step into civvy street? “Not really, I was 43 when I left the Army, so still young enough for a second career. I first started teaching Uniformed Public Services at a local Agricultural College. This wasn’t going to be for me, so when I saw the opportunity with Landmarc I jumped at it. I started off as a driver, and I am now a team leader in the workshop. They are a good investor in people I have done a number of internal courses, which I wouldn’t have done in the Army.”

Landmarc Solutions was originally created in 2003 to provide facilities management and support services to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Having been awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award their commitment to supporting veterans is evident and a clear recognition of their commitment to those men and women leaving the Armed Forces.

As Ben puts it “Working with like minded people is so important”.