When Lee Bushby joined the Army in 1990, he would have never believed that he was on a pathway that would lead him right to the centre of Government. As a young man Lee Joined the Royal Corps of Transport and completed his basic training at the Junior Leaders Regiment, which was then based in Colerne, Wiltshire.

As a Communications Specialist with the Royal Logistic Corps he served in various units throughout the Army and completed operational tours of Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.  
 
During his service Lee took advantage of the many education and training opportunities that the Army offers and completed a variety of courses that gave him an initial step on the leadership and management ladder. He went on to NVQ Level 3 in Management which then led to completing a Foundation Degree in Business & Management.

This was quickly followed by a BA (Hons) in International Business & Management, a course that he is proud to say that he completed during his deployment to Iraq.  He has also completed Level 7 Extended Diploma in Strategic Leadership and then finally a MSc in Human Resource Management. 
 
Lee took full advantage of the training provided by The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) who provide resettlement services for the army. He said: “We are very lucky to have a full two-year transition period and I took full advantage by using my personal Career Consultant to help develop a plan and lead me through the whole resettlement process.

The ability to attend a Career Transition Workshop (CTW) where I could really focus on identifying my transferrable skills, develop my CV and have the opportunity to take part in mock interviews, provided me with a lot more confidence. I took the option of a Civilian Work Attachment where I worked with a local company for a month, and that provided some excellent insights into what life outside the Army would be like; something that I would highly recommend”.  
 
When Lee left the Army in 2015, he joined the Civil Service and initially worked in Bristol on many equipment procurement projects. His wealth and depth of talent was soon spotted, and he was quickly promoted. When reflecting on his change in career, he said; “Resilience was a key skill that the army gave me and this alongside my leadership and strategic planning experience that I gained as senior Warrant Officer, Communications Specialist working in a Headquarter operational environment, gave me the tools I needed to succeed in my second career”.

He added: “The Army taught me to take on more responsibility for planning and executing operations and managing equipment and staff. Although I didn’t know it at the time, it was setting me up for my second career”.  
 
Lee now works in the Cabinet Office working on the Places for Growth project and says he often reflects on how far he has come. He said; “When I joined the Army all those years ago, I expected an exciting career and I got one. But in addition, I received a huge amount of education and training and went through a superb resettlement process that set me up for future success”.