Meet Jason Burt: From Combat Engineer and Design Draughtsman to Project Manager
Tell us about your time in the Army?
I joined in 1987, aged 16, straight from school. I enlisted with the Royal Engineers where I trained as a combat engineer, where we’re trained in bridge building, bridge demolition, minefield laying, and minefield breaching. I was a combat engineer first and foremost, with my chosen trade being design draughtsman.
During my career, I worked across the world, supporting projects in locations including the Falkland Islands, Belize, Canada, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Kenya. It was a role that combined engineering, design and problem-solving in some challenging environments.
I ended up in a specialist team based out of Chetwynd barracks in Beeston, where we'd be on 48 hours’ notice to move anywhere in the world. We carried out designs anywhere and everywhere, typically where bullets are still flying and mines are still in the ground.
During a war, what happens initially is all main supply routes are taken out, your bridges, airfields, main highways, anything to prevent the enemy's movements and resupply, so we can get into a ceasefire. You're looking to repair all critical infrastructure to get the country back up and on its feet. That was pretty much what my role was.
I think being a project manager at Arc Partnership is similar in many ways because you’re part of the solution - you integrate with the rest of the business from the design team, demolition team, emergency repairs and the end users to deliver the best outcome.
How did your Army experience shape the way you think about and approach planning and problem-solving?
Attention to detail and accuracy were fundamental in my design role and core skills. Typically, we would often be flown out overseas to carry out a recce, conduct a survey, take measurements, pictures and gather information before returning to the UK to complete the design work.
There was no scope for going back if you’ve missed something, you had to get it right first time as they're not going to fly you back out. That approach stays with you throughout your career.
Adaptability is another key skill the Army teaches you. Every location presents different challenges, whether that’s the climate, terrain, available materials or local construction methods. For example, if you're designing a building in the Falkland Islands, everything's made from concrete; if you're designing in Belize or Central America, everything's built on stilts. And, if you're designing for Bosnia, Kosovo or Croatia, then you're looking at very mountainous regions, and your materials are going to have to get up a side of a mountain somehow. Or if you're looking at Kenya or anywhere in Africa, then there'll be no steel and you’re looking at timber, tin and basic materials.
You learn very quickly that one solution doesn't fit every situation, and that's a skill that's still valuable in project management today.
How did you find the transition into civilian project and design management?
I was fortunate because I spent my career in the Forces undertaking design, and then when I left I spent eight years in Arc Partnership’s design team before I moved across to project management.
As a designer, I was already heavily involved in projects, working alongside project managers, helping to develop solutions and explaining designs to our clients and end users.
Understanding that process, the transition into project management was relatively straightforward and natural.
How did leadership, discipline, or teamwork in the Army help you retrain or qualify as a project manager?
I think it was slightly easier for me than perhaps some. Designing and leading design teams all over the world meant that moving into similar roles in civilian life felt like a natural progression.
The Army teaches you the importance of accountability, teamwork and delivering results under pressure. Those skills are just as important in project management as they are in the military.
At Arc Partnership, success comes from working closely with colleagues, clients and end users to deliver the right outcome, and that's something I enjoy about the role.
Did the Army influence how you work with clients or manage projects?
Indirectly, yes. The Army shaped the way I approach work, but also I had to adapt when I moved into civilian design and project management.
There were no planning regulations in the Army, so getting through all the frustrations around that, and everything was either specified black, green or brown. In civilian design, you have the entire spectrum of colours. Again, in the forces, every project, as long as it was robust, it worked and it achieved what it was designed to achieve - it wasn't going to win any prizes, but it will stand up and you can probably drive a tank over it, which was fundamentally the rationale.
Leadership was also very different. In the Army, you had a job to do, and you got on with it regardless of the circumstances. That instilled strong habits around accountability, time management and delivering results.
I did leave 26 years ago, so it was a very different time and I imagine the Army now would be a very different Army to the one that I left in truth. But, I've adapted those skills to civilian life, and they’re values that have stayed with me throughout my career.
What surprised you most about moving from the Army into a professional services environment?
One thing that surprised me was how specialised some roles can be. In the Army, I was trained across multiple disciplines, architecture, structural engineering and civil engineering. My skillset covers drainage design, bar bending schedules, drainage calculations, I can design bridges, sewage treatment works and all those sorts of things.
That broader skillset means I can often look at projects from several different perspectives, which can be useful when working with the multidisciplinary teams we have here at Arc Partnership as it perhaps gives a more complete design.
At the end of the day, whether you're designing something in Bosnia, Kenya or Nottinghamshire, the fundamentals remain the same, it still needs to work, it still needs to be safe and it still needs to stand up.
How did you find it when you left the Army and returned to civilian life?
Leaving the Forces is a huge decision because it isn't just a job, it's a way of life.
Military life can be difficult for families, especially when you're deployed overseas for long periods and constantly moving around the world. I was already doing back-to-back tours, and you literally see something happening on the news and you're thinking right, I'd better start packing. So, it was vastly different.
Many people leave the Army without having owned a home, arranged a mortgage or established roots in one place, which can make the transition into civilian life particularly challenging. Entire families won't typically have long-term steady jobs unless they're UK-based, as we’re based all over the world. And families are out there with them, because they're going to be typically posted for two-three years at a time.
Anything you do is temporary and so, getting simple things like a mortgage when you've been working out the country on a temporary salary and all the rest of it, is very tough.
That's probably one of the things that I'd like to drive through the Armed Forces Working Group we have at Arc Partnership, would be to act as some kind of conduit to assist with forces individuals who do have all these skills and are very capable to move across into civilian life.
It's a big decision to make to leave the forces community, and I know there's various charities to help with that, but I think there's a role to be played by various companies who do take up things such as the Armed Forces Covenant. To us, it’s not just a box ticking exercise. It should have meaning.
What would you say to other Forces personnel considering a technical or design-based career?
Typically, when you take certain courses, like when I took on my design draughtsman course, I had to sign a waiver where I couldn't leave within three years. When you then look at what actual accreditations or part of qualifications you come out with, many people leaving the Forces don’t always recognise how transferrable their skills are.
They often have significant experience, responsibility and practical expertise that can be applied directly to civilian careers. More often than not, you’ll find that they'll be more qualified than the civilian counterpart many times over, but sometimes they can't see it from their side.
Leaving the Forces is hard enough, if I'm honest, it can feel like an identity shift. If I could sit down with someone considering that transition, I’d want them to understand just how much they have to offer and that they are qualified, and that the skills and experience they’ve gained are highly transferable.
Being in the Army isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life, but the skills and experience you gain can open the door to a huge range of opportunities.
In 2018, Arc Partnership signed the Armed Forces Covenant, demonstrating its commitment to supporting those who serve or have served, and their families. That commitment was recognised with the Ministry of Defence's Bronze Employer Recognition Scheme Award in 2021, followed by the Silver Award in 2022.
Jason's story highlights not only the wealth of skills and experience that veterans bring to civilian careers, but also the challenges that can come with leaving military service behind. As we mark Armed Forces Day 2026, we are proud to celebrate colleagues like Jason, whose experience, leadership and passion for supporting others continue to strengthen Arc Partnership and our Armed Forces community.
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