Army Reserve experience supports career growth for RSK graduate engineer

At first glance, it may not be obvious how an Army Reserve role supports a career in geoscience. For Flora Sprague, however, the connection is clear. Her experience as a reservist is helping to strengthen her professional skills while supporting her personal development.

Taking advantage of opportunities in the Army Reserve

Having taken part in the University Officer Training Corps while studying at Lancaster University, continuing with the Army Reserve felt like a natural step for Flora. She wanted to keep doing something she enjoyed, and the reserves have given her opportunities that she would not otherwise have had.

Flora said: “Being in the reserves means I can have two careers at once and improve my soft skills, which is the main transferable area between military and civilian roles. My role as a soldier requires discipline and resilience and through it, I’ve built a strong foundation in leadership, teamwork and communication. One of my best skills is boosting morale. I like to motivate others when things are tough. This is a key skill to have in my graduate role, especially on-site, owing to the challenging nature of the work.”

A keen climber and snowboarder, Flora has also been able to pursue her hobbies through the reserves in adventurous training and army sports. She has completed her rock-climbing foundation course and aims to achieve rock-climbing supervisor status next. She then hopes to complete instructor qualifications so that she can lead unit climbing trips.

She said: “There are so many opportunities within the reserves. It’s just up to me to take advantage of them.”

Balancing reservist commitments with graduate engineering role

Flora joined RSK’s graduate scheme in September 2025. Working as a graduate engineer, she is involved with a variety of projects, participating in both site works and desk-based activities. These can range from preparing health and safety plans, writing reports and preliminary risk-assessments and constructing geological cross-sections in the office to supervising drilling for intrusive investigations or doing groundwater and gas monitoring on-site.

Balancing weekly training evenings alongside work has not been difficult but getting time off for longer courses can be challenging. Flora has, however, been supported by her managers and others within RSK, who have given her the flexibility to carry out her duties alongside her job.

The value reservists bring to RSK

Flora is a member of RSK’s Armed Forces Network: a colleague-led and -owned space that brings together people from across the RSK Group who have links to the armed forces.

Flora said: “I am happy that RSK is committed to supporting armed forces personnel, veterans, reservists and military families. The network plays an important role in creating awareness and advocating for more support for reservists.

“Reservists bring a can‑do attitude, resilience and reliability to their job roles. Depending on your role within the reserves, you can acquire nationally recognised qualifications in areas including engineering, logistics and driving. We bring a different perspective, and I think this is something that RSK values in all its employees.”

Earlier this year, Flora completed her initial training and passed out as a private into the Royal Logistic Corps. When she finishes her phase 2 training, which includes gaining a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) licence, she will qualify as a driver.

Alongside this, Flora is focused on learning as much as she can during her time at RSK and developing her skills in ground investigations.

RSK employee networks are colleague-led and -owned spaces designed to foster awareness, community and inclusion within the workplace. United by shared characteristics, interests and life experiences, colleagues across the RSK Group now host six networks that are creating inclusive, supportive communities that provide education and policy guidance. RSK’s six employee networks are RSK Pride, RSK with Unity, the Neurodiversity Network, the Women’s Network, the Accessibility Network and the Armed Forces Network.