EMPLOYER PROFILE – SERCO | HMP/YOI DOVEGATE

Serco HMP/YOI Dovegate is a Category B adult male establishment near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. We are proud to recognise the valuable skills and experience developed across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Leadership, teamwork, discipline, resilience, communication and the ability to remain calm under pressure all provide an excellent foundation for a career as a Prison Officer.

Our Prison Officers help maintain a safe, secure and respectful environment while supporting prisoners to make positive changes. No previous custodial experience is required: successful applicants receive comprehensive training and ongoing support as they develop in the role. A career at Dovegate can also create opportunities to progress into specialist operational roles, management
and senior leadership.

If you are leaving the Armed Forces, serve in the reserves or are already a veteran, your service does not end – it evolves. Bring your experience, build your future and make a difference with Serco at HMP/YOI Dovegate.

Explore current Dovegate Prison Officer vacancies here

Recruitment enquiries
Dovegate-Training@serco.com
recruitmentuk@serco.com

YOUR SERVICE DOESN’T END. IT EVOLVES.

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TESTIMONIALS

Matthew Cartlidge
Former Armed Forces | Training Officer, HMP/YOI Dovegate

My experience in the Armed Forces gave me a strong foundation of discipline, teamwork, resilience and the ability to remain calm under pressure. These are skills that transferred naturally when I began my career at HMP/YOI Dovegate.

Starting as a Prison Officer gave me the opportunity to use those skills in a completely different environment while continuing to work as part of a team where communication, trust and professionalism are essential.

I have since progressed to become a Training Officer, where I now help teach and support new recruits as they begin their own careers. Being able to pass on both my operational knowledge and the valuable experience I gained during my military service is something I am extremely proud of.

For anyone leaving the Armed Forces, prison work offers the opportunity to take the skills and values developed during service and use them to build a new and rewarding career.

Chris Corbett
Former British Army | HMP/YOI Dovegate

I served in the British Army for nine years before building a career within the security sector, including working on high-profile operations such as HS2, where I was involved in security and protestor response teams.

Those roles developed my ability to remain calm under pressure, make sound decisions in dynamic situations and work effectively within disciplined teams. These are all qualities that transfer extremely well into the prison environment.

Working within a prison is fast-paced and challenging, and no two days are the same. Managing risk, responding to incidents and maintaining safety and security for both staff and prisoners creates a genuine sense of responsibility and purpose.

What makes the role particularly rewarding is the opportunity to work with complex individuals and positively influence their lives. Building professional relationships, encouraging engagement and seeing genuine changes in behaviour and attitude can provide a real sense of achievement.

For anyone leaving the Armed Forces and considering their next career, the skills, resilience and teamwork developed through military service can provide an excellent foundation for working within a prison environment.

Greg Mace
Former Armed Forces | Residential Manager, HMP/YOI Dovegate

Leaving the Armed Forces does not mean leaving behind the skills and values developed throughout your service. For me, those skills became the foundation of a new career at HMP/YOI Dovegate.

The ability to lead, communicate effectively, remain professional under pressure and work as part of a team are all qualities that are valued within the prison environment.

Within a relatively short period of joining the prison service, I was able to progress into a Residential Manager role. That progression has allowed me to take on greater responsibility, support staff and continue developing as a leader.

There are genuine opportunities to progress for people who are willing to learn, work hard and take responsibility. For service leavers who are accustomed to structure, teamwork and challenging environments, a career at HMP/YOI Dovegate can provide an opportunity to use those existing strengths while developing an entirely new career.

Pete Johnson
Former Armed Forces | HMP/YOI Dovegate

When I began looking at opportunities outside the Armed Forces, the Career Transition Partnership helped introduce me to the possibility of working within the prison service.

Moving into a Prison Officer role gave me the opportunity to take many of the skills developed during my military career into a completely different working environment.

No one day is the same. The role can be demanding and unpredictable, but that is also what makes it interesting. You work alongside colleagues as part of a team, deal with a wide range of situations and communicate with people from very different backgrounds.

Military service teaches you discipline, resilience, teamwork and the ability to adapt when circumstances change. Those qualities continue to be valuable long after leaving the Armed Forces and are highly relevant within a prison environment.

For anyone approaching the end of their military career and wondering what comes next, I would encourage them to consider the prison service and recognise just how transferable their existing skills can be.