Free for jobseekers and employers: post a job, find vetted engineers.Free for jobseekers and employers. See howSee how
Skip to content

For service leavers

From the forces to automation and maintenance engineering

Many military engineering trades share skills with civilian automation, controls, electrical and maintenance roles, such as fault finding, safe isolation and reading drawings. This guide is general and not an official mapping. A free path of courses, Lab practice and a skill check is below, and independent resettlement services are linked.

See the free path

1. A general guide

How military trades relate to civilian roles

Electrical and electronics technicians (for example Army, Royal Navy and RAF electrical or electronics trades)

Skills that carry over: Fault finding on electrical and electronic equipment, working to procedure, test equipment, safe isolation.

Civilian roles to look at: Electrical maintenance engineer, instrument technician, controls technician, field service engineer.

Mechanical and vehicle technicians (for example REME-type mechanical trades)

Skills that carry over: Diagnosing mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic faults, planned maintenance, working from technical manuals.

Civilian roles to look at: Mechanical fitter, maintenance engineer, multi-skilled maintenance engineer, field service engineer.

Avionics and aircraft systems technicians

Skills that carry over: Systems-level fault finding, strict documentation, working to standards and inspection.

Civilian roles to look at: Instrument and controls technician, commissioning technician, test engineer.

Marine and power engineering technicians

Skills that carry over: Operating and maintaining power, propulsion and auxiliary plant, working in shifts, process awareness.

Civilian roles to look at: Process or plant maintenance technician, utilities technician, instrumentation technician.

Communications and information systems technicians

Skills that carry over: Networks, secure systems, structured fault finding and configuration.

Civilian roles to look at: SCADA and HMI support, industrial network support, controls engineer (after PLC learning).

Read this first

This table is a general guide written by EDWartens UK. It is not an official mapping or a qualification equivalence, and trades differ by branch and date. Employers decide for themselves how they value service training. Ask your resettlement adviser how your own qualifications are recognised.

See the roles on the UK automation job board.

2. A free path

Learn, practise, check your skills

  1. Step 1

    Learn

    Work through the free courses below at your own pace, with quizzes and a final exam on each.

  2. Step 2

    Practise

    Open the free EDWartens Lab in your browser and practise on PLC, panel and process simulators.

  3. Step 3

    Check your skills

    Take the skill check for the family of work you want. It is free, and the standard is on our page about how we check skills.

  4. Step 4

    Look at jobs

    Browse live UK jobs and see which skills adverts ask for. We never promise a job or an interview.

Free courses

Or follow a whole path: Maintenance engineer (UK) learning path, Electrician to PLC learning path.

Practice and the skill check

The EDWartens Lab has free simulators that run in your browser, and you can open the Lab straight away. The skill check is free once you have an account. Read how the skill check works, then create a free account to take it. A job simulation is practice, not employment.

3. Independent services

Resettlement help from the people who run it

Independent of EDWartens UK

These are independent services. EDWartens UK is not part of them, is not endorsed by them and does not act for them. We link to them because they may help you. Check their own pages for who is eligible and what they offer.

Questions

Service leaver questions

Can my military engineering experience count towards a civilian engineering job?
Often the skills are relevant: fault finding, safe working, reading technical documents and working to procedure. Whether an employer counts them depends on the employer and the job, so show your skills with evidence such as course results and a skill check, and ask your resettlement adviser how your service qualifications are recognised.
Which civilian roles are closest to a technical military trade?
It depends on the trade. Electrical and electronics trades often look at electrical maintenance, instrumentation and controls roles. Mechanical trades often look at maintenance and fitter roles. The table on this page is a general guide, not an official mapping.
Is this free?
Yes. The courses, the Lab, the skill check and the job board are free to use. An optional certificate for a free course is paid, and no one has to buy it.
Do I need to know PLC programming already?
No. The path starts with electrical and control basics. Programming courses are there if you want to move towards controls work.
Do you work with the Career Transition Partnership or the Forces Employment Charity?
No. They are independent services and we have no link with either. We point to them because they may help service leavers.
Will this get me a job?
No one can promise that, and we do not. Free learning and a skill check give you evidence to show employers. Employers make their own decisions.
Are your certificates qualifications?
No. Our free-course certificates are not regulated qualifications. A job simulation is practice, not employment.

Checked 31 October 2026. Are you a college, charity or resettlement service? See our partner page.