Civilian training for soldiers marches on

Citation

(2004), "Civilian training for soldiers marches on", Education + Training, Vol. 46 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2004.00446aab.007

Civilian training for soldiers marches on

Civilian training for soldiers marches on

Around 2,000 serving soldiers have decided to advance themselves by gaining civilian qualifications, in a scheme that has won an award for outstanding achievement from the Department for Education and Skills. The army of learners is taking modern apprenticeships in the scheme, run by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) in partnership with Wiltshire College, Chippenham, and Somerset College of Arts and Technology. The RAC is the armoured branch of the Army, equipped with Challenger 2 and light armoured fighting vehicles. It includes the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, well known for its ceremonial duties guarding the sovereign.

The learning programme is credited by the RAC as contributing to decision-making ability and confidence to handle difficult situations like the firemen's strike and the Gulf conflict. Under the scheme, 210 soldiers have trained as NVQ assessors. Subjects chosen by soldiers reflect their military roles – engineering maintenance and horse care. So far, 900 soldiers have gained modern apprenticeships and more than 1,200 have gained NVQs at Level two. A further 800 have received key-skills certificates, and 1,100 have gained initial engineering training.