Case studies / Veteran employment · Charity partnership
Helping service leavers translate military skills into business
A partnership with Officers’ Association Scotland since 2021: simulation days twice a year for members moving into civilian careers.
- Client
- Officers’ Association Scotland
- Since
- 2021
- Simulations
- TeamWork.Inc, GoGreen.Inc
- Group size
- 5 to 15 per session
- Format
- In person, twice a year
- Location
- Edinburgh
At a glance
Service leavers bring strong communication, discipline and teamwork, but meet unfamiliar corporate structures and a different language of business.
Twice-yearly facilitated days: an online introduction, three levels of play with reflection in between, and a closing discussion tied to each participant’s transition.
Participants describe understanding how a business needs to operate, and how the strengths they already have apply to it.
The most important thing I learned from the day was the importance of communication across all disciplines.
About the partner
Officers’ Association Scotland
In 1920 Field Marshal The Earl Haig established Officers’ Association Scotland to help relieve the distress of officers and their families after the Great War. It was founded as an independent charity in Scotland, and its services now include employment advice and guidance alongside continued welfare support. All ranks are welcome at its training, networking and employer events.
Through discussions with our founder, Tim Dew, in 2021, the Association began running business simulation training twice a year at Poppy Scotland’s premises in Edinburgh, as part of its mission to support officers and their families through the transition to civilian life and beyond.
The idea
Why simulation suits military transition
Moving from a military career into the civilian workforce brings its own challenges: cultural adjustment, unfamiliar corporate structures, and the need to translate military skills into business language.
A business simulation lets service leavers practise strategic planning, team leadership, financial decision-making and cross-functional work in a risk-free version of a civilian workplace. It frames corporate challenges in a way that fits a military mindset, with clear goals, real-time feedback and decisions under pressure, and participants see the effect of their decisions straight away.
The approach
How a day runs
Each session runs in person with 5 to 15 participants. Members first get an online overview: what experiential learning is, the science behind the simulations, how business functions depend on each other, the learning outcomes for service leavers, and an introduction to TeamWork.Inc or GoGreen.Inc, depending on which simulation the group will play.
A facilitator-guided walkthrough and time with the company handbook come next, then level 1: the first 26 weeks of trading in 26 minutes. After each level, teams see their key metrics, reflect and plan, before a closing discussion that turns the day’s learning into actions for their own transition.
Every Immersive Edge simulation runs over three levels of play for 5 to 15 people, with reflection between levels. Each level compresses 26 weeks of trading into 26 minutes. See how a day runs.
Facilitators
In their own words
What participants learned
Immersive Edge is the perfect solution for anyone transitioning from the military into the civilian area of work. This Business Simulation training expanded my understanding of the complexities of how a business works but if you think it’s just a day of power point presentations and a tutor talking, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
From CEO decision making down to budgeting for a company and running your own marketing campaigns, I now understand just how a business needs to operate for success.
The most important thing I learned from the day was the importance of communication across all disciplines. Whilst I have previously understood this from an intellectual level, actually ‘practicing what was preached’ absolutely reinforced the power of that message.
I think any organisation (private or public) could use this sort of training to better develop their associates to deepen their understanding of what makes business’s tick!
On reflection I learnt a lot about my own team working ability, the differences and overlaps between the military and civilian work practices, what skills I currently have and what I lack and need to work on during transition.
From the facilitator and the Association
Reflections
What I remember most about the sessions with the Officers’ Association Scotland members is that they are highly qualified in communication, discipline, teamwork and organisation. They definitely don’t need to learn that.
What the members benefit most from, is help with how to apply those qualities to the environment of businesses. Although the business language is different from military language, with some specific sector jargon here and there that can be difficult to understand for any new employee, businesses are not too different from the military. The core is the same: working together with different departments and elements like skills, capacity, cashflow and R&D to accomplish success.
Playing the simulation gave the groups insight into the impact actions from one department can have on the others, and on the company as a whole. And they worked together to overcome challenges by communicating and taking the time to strategize, not only taking the financial implications into account, but also paying attention to ethics and sustainability.
The Officers’ Association Scotland recognizes the exceptional value of Immersive Edge’s business simulation training for service leavers and veterans.
For those transitioning from military to civilian careers, this training bridges the gap with practical insight into how organizations operate, empowering veterans to confidently apply their strengths in leadership and teamwork to the commercial world.
Supporting transition
If you support people moving from the military into civilian work, we can show you how a day like this runs for your members.
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