As retail giants scale, their operations need cutting-edge automation.
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That means building strong engineering teams becomes critical for maintaining a competitive advantage. The problem is, traditional recruitment methods can miss the mark, filtering out capable candidates based on industry experience rather than core competencies.
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NEXT recognised an opportunity: rather than competing for traditional engineering talent, they could explore skills-first hiring to access untapped pools of highly capable professionals.
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The solution? Alternative talent. AKA, military talent. 

Traditional Engineering Recruitment: The Problem 

The traditional route to hire creates unnecessary barriers between talented candidates and suitable roles. By focusing only on experience, you’re overlooking a ton of people with transferable skills. A veteran who's maintained complex aircraft systems might lose out on a warehouse engineering position due to a lack of conveyor belt experience. 
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This approach misses a crucial point: the core skills required for engineering success translate directly across sectors. NEXT needs professionals who can diagnose faults under pressure, implement preventative maintenance protocols, and deliver results in complex automated environments.

Veterans might not have PLC terminology down yet, but they sure have the systematic approach and problem-solving mindset.

The Competitive Advantage of Skills-First Hiring

With Redeployable, NEXT's new approach focuses on competency and attitude over credentials, accessing a talent base of highly capable professionals whose skills transfer directly to their engineering requirements.

Rather than filtering candidates based on background, they evaluate technical problem-solving, leadership under pressure, and proven maintenance delivery. Our platform translates military experience into language their hiring managers understand, provides practical engineering assessments, and connects proven talent directly with hiring teams.

What Does This Look Like?

The Redeployable NEXT programme gives veterans access to detailed job information, practical skill assessments, and direct engagement opportunities with hiring teams.
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• Structured pathway content provides insight into NEXT's engineering culture and day-to-day responsibilities in their highly automated warehouses, removing guesswork from the application process.
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• Practical Job Drops allow candidates to demonstrate ability through real-world scenarios: facility troubleshooting, stakeholder management, and system problem-solving. This approach validates skills while helping candidates assess role compatibility.
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• Direct employer engagement eliminates traditional recruitment barriers (like CVs that hiring managers don't understand), connecting qualified candidates directly with engineering managers who can evaluate their potential.
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• Early access opportunities ensure military experience gets seen by decision-makers before roles hit the general job market.

Proven Results

We know veterans are a fit. Josh successfully transitioned from RAF Avionics Engineer to become one of NEXT's leading Maintenance Engineers, impressing management with how quickly he picked up complex warehouse systems.

"The transition was really easy," Josh explains. "Military training prepares you perfectly for industry roles. What gets instilled into you throughout the RAF, or any service really, sets you in good stead because you do your job to the best of your ability."

NEXT's Emily Hunt, Recruitment Specialist, confirms:

"They are really driven, highly motivated... exactly what we're looking for. It's all about having the right attitude - we can train for the technical aspects."

Changing Engineering Hiring Forever

As automation continues to reshape retail operations, competitive advantage will increasingly depend on securing and retaining capable technical talent. Companies that hire for competency rather than narrow industry experience will be better positioned to meet this challenge.
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NEXT's approach establishes a benchmark for strategic talent acquisition in automated operations. For veterans, this partnership demonstrates that forward-thinking employers are actively looking for talent like them. The retail sector's automation creates opportunities for professionals who can demonstrate the systematic approach and results delivery that military service develops.
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Skills-first hiring isn't just a recruitment strategy; it's a competitive advantage that benefits everyone involved.

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Want to get involved? Head to the Redeployable platform to start your journey into NEXT.