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Advertorial: Blue Pathfinder - leaving the force?

If you are thinking about leaving the force a new resource can help you every step of the way.
Published - 20/05/2016 By - Martin Buhagiar - Police Oracle

Blue Pathfinder is a resource and channel for those leaving or thinking about leaving the police.

Its purpose is to help them bridge the knowledge gap as they make the transition from one type of working life to another.

Even for those currently sitting on the fence, unsure which way to turn, Blue Pathfinder has been designed to offer those working in the force the knowledge and information they need to make the correct decision and a smooth transition to the private sector. 

The channel is the brainchild of former chief inspector Mark Corder who believes he has gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the four years since leaving the job.

He set up Blue Pathfinder and, earlier this year, was approached by PoliceOracle.com’s parent company Red Snapper.

Mark said: “Red Snapper Learning shared my vision for helping the police move on to other things and, to cut a long story short, we are now working together under the Red Snapper banner.”

So how did it all begin for Mark?

“I joined the Ministry of Defence Police in 1994 and carried out a number of roles in a number of ranks, leaving by way of the Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS) in March 2012,” he said.

“I decided to leave, at the age of 39, because, having reached the rank of chief inspector, austerity measures meant vastly reduced future opportunities for development and, in all honestly, we were settled as a family in Hampshire and any future promotions could have meant moving home to the far flung reaches of the UK. 

“Circumstances and outlooks can change and with a young family, settled into the area and a wife with a good job at our local hospital, it seemed unfair to drag everyone around the country for the sake of my career.  So I decided to take my chances in the outside world.”

Mark decided to make the most of skills gained, utilised and perfected in his previous role.

He added: “The plan was to set up in business as a security and training consultant, basically making us of the skills and experience I had acquired in the police.  My policing roles were very much around armed protective security, training and managing large teams across numerous sites and also projects, so it seemed relevant to take some of that with me.

“It’s been an interesting few years since leaving the police, having set up four business, three of which I have sold.   I have also worked on a number of contracts, either because I have applied for the position or been sought out to take on a particular role.  The variety has made my time since leaving the police very interesting.

“The one thing that I have been particularly conscious of since stepping out into what we call ‘civvy street’ was not only the lack of support when you leave the police, but the wealth of things you have to know about and find out when you move away from policing into the private sector.  There wasn’t any form of resettlement like you have in the armed forces and you are basically on your own.

“My tenacity, sense of adventure and having an enquiring mind has led me be find out about all sorts of things.  I’ve attended many networking events, some better than others.  I worked out how to set up a business and what I needed to do to run it legally. 

"I sorted out my LinkedIn profile and have been quite proactive with it.  I learned how to do my own bookkeeping.  I engaged with recruiters to find the best format for a CV.  The list goes on and on because you can never stop learning. 

"For anyone leaving the police, it really is a different world on the outside and, stepping away from the organised, sometimes regimented world we are used to into what is effectively the unknown, can be daunting.”

Mark says by speaking to and working with others former police officers who had also moved on, either via retirement, resignation or some other form of exit, it became clear there was not a great deal of support to help those making the transition into the private sector.

The website www.bluepathfinder.co.uk and its current offering is the first step on the journey.  The website showcases a two-day police leavers course filled with relevant content

It is easy to take a scatter-gun approach when you leave the force and literally do anything any everything, throwing away precious time and money to find out what is out there, what options there are and perhaps even signing up for a number of potentially irrelevant courses because you believe a particular qualification may be of value.

The two-day police leavers course can help with all of that and more by not only guiding you towards a structured plan - but by also providing a good overview of the things that will be most relevant to you and the detail to support it.  This combination is delivered by the experienced course trainer and via the associated course handbook which is almost 100-pages in total and given to every delegate at the end.

Mark adds: “People no longer need to leave the police and feel like they are on their own.  As well as these courses, which start on May 31st in London and will also run in Manchester from July, there are other things in the pipeline, including an online forum where people can share knowledge ideas and experiences, or simply ask relevant questions of the group or the moderators.”

If the demand is there, then the courses will also be offered at various other locations throughout the UK.

Good news for www.policeoracle.com members - they receive a discounted course price depending on their membership level.

For more information, visit: http://www.policeoracle.com/bluepathfinder/

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