A FORMER Royal Marines Commando has used the skills he learned to start his new career in housing development.

Jon Driscoll left the Armed Forces in 2017 and joined the David Wilson Homes’ Armed Forces Transition Programme.

He trained to become an assistant site manager at the St Andrew’s Gate development in Halstead.

The programme involves a year of hands-on learning at a development plus attending the Barratt Academy every six weeks for study time.

Mr Driscoll, 28, said he discovered the course with Barratt Homes at a career transition workshop after leaving the Marines.

He said: “I really enjoyed being part of the programme, one of the best parts was being able to meet with other like-minded individuals in the same situation as me at the Barratt Academy.

“The skills you learn in the military are easily transferable to a new homes development. The Royal Marines taught me a lot of great leadership skills which I have carried through to my current role.

“You need to be able to know how to get people to work to the best of their ability in the Armed Forces and the same goes on a building site, everyone’s different and it’s about understanding the way everyone works.”

Ex-Marines like Jon, of Clacton, are encouraged by the housing developer to join the transition programme because of the transferable skills they have.

Annette Hurst, sales director at David Wilson Homes, said: “Working as an assistant site manager can often be a high pressure role as they’re managing a large team, hitting targets and working to a tight deadline.

“It’s fantastic Jon’s previous experience has helped him and we look forward to seeing how he continues to progress.”