As an organisation we are proud of our employees and like to be able to share their achievements. This month we are shining the spotlight on a member of our Estates team, Richard Cameron. Find out about his achievements, struggles and the path that led him to work for our Association.
Can you tell us about your current role and achievements?
“Currently, I serve as a Crown Servant with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association (RFCA). In this role, I work as a Building Surveyor, Estate Manager and Project Manager a position I have held for over three and a half years.
“What I truly appreciate about working at the West Midland RFCA is its inclusive and diverse working environment. Being part of the organisation has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience.
“One of the most fulfilling aspects of my role has been the opportunity to project manage a variety of projects including refurbishing Army Reserve Centres and Cadet huts, as well as adapting living spaces for injured soldiers.
“Working on these projects as given me a sense of personal pride and achievement. Knowing that my contributions have positively impacted the lives of service members, the Cadets development, and the surrounding community is incredibly rewarding.
“On April 14, 2025, I was formally admitted as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) after successfully completing the Professional Practitioner route and CIOB Professional Competency Review. I am now proud to hold the title of Chartered Construction Manager and can use the post-nominals MCIOB after my name.”
Your path to working at West Midland RFCA wasn’t without twists and turns, can you tell us more?
“After leaving school at the age of 16, without any formal qualifications and bordering on dyslexic, I enrolled at the Bilston Youth Training Scheme (YTS) Training Centre. There, I was introduced to the basics of how to become a general builder.
“After six months of training I was given a works placement with a small local general building contractor as part of a three-man team. My role was that of a labourer, earning just £26.50 per week after tax. As the only labourer at the company, I was often tasked with the most physically demanding jobs.
“I was not enjoying my work placement with the building firm, so I left and had a complete career change, becoming a full-time butcher, a role I held for 21 years.
“In an attempt to improve my reading and spelling skills, I attended the Early Learning Centre for Adults in Wolverhampton in 2001. Then two years later I successfully completed an Intermediate Certificate in Food Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Practice, specifically for the meat processing industry, upon completing this course my boss promoted me to on-site Meat Hygiene Inspector / Supervisor.
“I enrolled at the City of Wolverhampton College in 2004, where I successfully achieved GCSEs in both English and Mathematics.
“My path in to buildings and my current career really started in 2008, when I enrolled at Bilston Construction College in Wolverhampton and over the next three years completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 in Carpentry & Joinery, earning distinctions throughout. I continued my education at the City of Wolverhampton College, where I completed, with distinction, a two-year BTEC Level 3 and a two-year HNC Diploma (Level 4) in Construction & the Built Environment.
“In October 2015 I left the butchery trade and enrolled at the University of Wolverhampton. I graduated in 2017 with a First-Class Honours degree in Building Surveying, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
“Soon after graduating I joined Rider Levett Bucknall as a Graduate Building Surveyor. After three and a half years there I moved to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) where I worked as an Assistant Building Surveyor.
“During this period of my life, while continuing to work as a butcher, and my love of going to the gym, I held several other jobs. These included working as a car valeter, a door security supervisor, self-builder, renovating houses, performing as a wedding singer at corporate events, weddings, and restaurants across the West Midlands and also being a part-time carer, helping out my dad, caring for my beloved Mum who was at the time suffering from dementia. Sadly both my beloved parents have now passed away.
“This year I will be 54 years old. The message I want readers to take from my story is that everyone has their own aspirations, goals and destinations in life.
“For me, I am still learning, I am still trying to find my way through. I don’t even know where I am trying to get to anymore, I just leave it in God’s hands.
“Who, what and where he wants me to be or end up, is who, what and where I will end up and be.”
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Published 18/06/2025
