Being in the Sea Cadets, getting that discipline, wearing the uniform, having fun out on the boats, sailing and learning that naval ethos certainly set me up for my career in the Royal Navy. And my experience with the Navy informs everything I do as an engineer at BAE Systems.JasonEngineer and Chief Petty Officer with Barrow Sea Cadets
From childhood dreams of joining the Royal Navy to helping create opportunities for young people in his local community, Jason’s journey has come full circle.
Now, with support from BAE Systems, he’s helping the next generation build skills, confidence and a sense of belonging.
A childhood ambition realised
Jason’s connection to the Royal Navy started early.
“The Navy has always been a huge interest to me,” he says. “My grandfather was in the Navy during the Second World War, so growing up with his stories of things that he did and saw, I always wanted to be in the Royal Navy.”
After joining the Sea Cadets as a teenager, Jason quickly found a sense of purpose and direction.
"Being in the Sea Cadets, getting that discipline, wearing the uniform, having fun out on the boats, sailing and learning that naval ethos certainly set me up for my career in the Royal Navy. And my experience with the Navy informs everything I do as an engineer at BAE Systems."
Jason later completed an apprenticeship at what was then VSEL (Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited) in Barrow before joining the Royal Navy as a submariner, serving aboard submarines built in his hometown.
For Jason, joining the Royal Navy was the fulfilment of a childhood ambition. During his ten-and-a-half years of service, he experienced first-hand the unique demands of life aboard submarines, operating in a fast-paced environment where teamwork, adaptability and trust were essential.
“I'd always wanted to be a submariner,” he says. “That was my dream as a young child.”
Following his military career, Jason returned to Barrow and eventually joined BAE Systems, where he now works as a Principal Operability Engineer. His role helps ensure the equipment and systems used by sailors are practical, effective and designed around the people who will ultimately operate them.
“We’re there to give advice to the designers and engineers to make sure the systems will work for the people using them,” he explains. “Ultimately, they’re supporting sailors who could be at sea for months at a time, so it’s important we get it right.”
Helping the next generation thrive
Alongside his day job, Jason volunteers with Barrow Sea Cadets, one of the oldest units in the country and one with close links to the town’s shipbuilding heritage. Founded in 1932, the unit has a long-standing relationship with Barrow’s shipyard. Over the decades, Sea Cadets have attended major launches, keel-laying ceremonies and key milestones in the town’s shipbuilding history, creating a close connection between generations of cadets and the maritime industry.
After leaving the Royal Navy, Jason spent ten years volunteering with HM Coastguard, responding to incidents ranging from flood rescues to helping people trapped in quicksand. During Storm Babet, he was also deployed to Scotland where he helped rescue residents from flooded homes.
While volunteering with the Coastguard, he was invited back to Barrow Sea Cadets to help teach sailing. What started as a few days supporting on the water soon became something much bigger.
“I went down and saw the look on the kids’ faces when they came off the water,” he says. “The feeling that gives me can’t be replaced.”
Now serving as a uniformed Chief Petty Officer, as the Officer In Charge of TS Sovereign, Jason helps lead training evenings, sailing sessions, competitions and community activities for cadets across the region.
His role includes everything from planning qualifications and water-based training to supporting local events such as the Keswick to Barrow charity walk and Armed Forces Day preparations. But for Jason, the most rewarding part is seeing the impact the cadets have on young people in Barrow.
“A lot of the cadets that we get coming down to our unit here in Barrow don’t have anything outside of that,” he says. “To hear some of those kids say the Sea Cadets is like a family to me – that’s huge.”
Supported to make a difference
For many, balancing a full-time role with volunteering commitments could be difficult. But Jason says the support he receives from BAE Systems makes a huge difference.
“BAE Systems fully support it and that makes it easy to balance with work,” he says.
As part of the company’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, Jason receives special paid leave to support his cadet activities, which he says has a direct impact on young people across the region. “They’re not just supporting me,” he explains. “They’re supporting every single cadet in that unit.”
That support allows Jason to run sailing courses and activities during school holidays, opening opportunities up to cadets from across Cumbria and the North West.
Skills that transfer both ways
Jason says many of the skills he uses both at BAE Systems and with the Sea Cadets have been shaped through his experiences in the Royal Navy and HM Coastguard.
“It’s communication skills, it’s leadership skills, it’s the ability to adapt your leadership style to suit the group of people you’re leading,” he explains.
That mindset continues to shape his approach both professionally and personally, whether he’s supporting engineering teams at BAE Systems or helping cadets build confidence on the water.
For Jason, volunteering with the Sea Cadets is about far more than sailing qualifications or time on the water. It's about helping young people discover confidence, belonging and opportunities they may not otherwise experience.
“It’s the inclusion,” he says. “That’s a huge, huge part of it.”