The Value of the University Armed Service Units
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The Value of the University Armed Service Units Rachel Woodward, K. Neil Jenkings and Alison J. Williams ][u ubiquity press London Published by Ubiquity Press Ltd. 6 Windmill Street London W1T 2JB www.ubiquitypress.com Text © The authors 2015 First published 2015 Cover design by Amber MacKay Images used in this cover design were sourced from http://www.defenceimagery. mod.uk and are licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 Front cover image by Bombardier Murray Kerr © Crown Copyright 2012 Back cover image by Sgt Si Longworth RLC © Crown Copyright 2014 Printed in the UK by Lightning Source Ltd. ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-909188-57-0 ISBN (PDF): 978-1-909188-58-7 ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-909188-59-4 ISBN (Kindle): 978-1-909188-60-0 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/baq This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This license allows for copying any part of the work for personal and commercial use, providing author attribution is clearly stated. Suggested citation: Woodward, R, Jenkings, K N and Williams, A J 2015 The Value of the University Armed Service Units. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/baq. License: CC-BY 4.0 To read the online open access version of this book, either visit http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/baq or scan this QR code with your mobile device: Contents List of tables vi List of figures vii List of abbreviations x Note on terminology xi Acknowledgements xiii Chapter 1. The University Armed Service Units: Background and Context 1 1.1 Introducing the university armed service units 1 1.2 The university armed service units missions 5 1.3 The UK higher education sector 19 1.4 Policy issues framing the university armed service units 22 1.5 The purpose and structure of this book 30 Chapter 2. Studying the Value of the University Armed Service Units: Research Rationale and Methods 31 2.1 Rationale and background to the research 31 2.2 Research methodology 35 2.3 Conclusions on rationale and methodology 42 Chapter 3. The Student Experience of University Armed Service Unit Participation 45 3.1 Demographic characteristics of the university armed forces units survey sample 46 3.2 University attendance, qualifications, degree subjects and other activities 48 3.3 Joining a university armed service unit 56 3.4 University armed service units and skills development 63 iv The Value of the University Armed Service Units 3.5 Progression through university 80 3.6 Career choices 83 3.7 Seeking and gaining employment after graduation 91 3.8 Opinions about the armed forces 95 3.9 Overall experiences of university armed service units 97 3.10 Conclusions: the value of the university armed service units for participating students 99 Chapter 4. Graduate Evaluations of the University Armed Service Units Experience 101 4.1 The sample of graduates 101 4.2 The value of university armed service units experience in the workplace 106 4.3 Defence-minded for life? 116 4.4 Considering a career in the armed forces 120 4.5 The value of the individual to their university armed service unit and the armed forces 124 4.6 Graduate perceptions of the value of the university armed service units 131 4.7 Conclusions: the value of the university armed service units to graduates 135 Chapter 5. The Value of the University Armed Service Units to the Armed Forces 139 5.1 The commanding officers 139 5.2 The university armed service units and the universities 142 5.3 The value of the university armed service units to universities 148 5.4 The value added to university armed service units and the armed forces from the university relationship 149 5.5 Commanding Officer perceptions of the value of the university armed service units 150 5.6 Conclusions: the value of the university armed service units to the armed forces 152 Chapter 6. The Universities and the University Armed Service Units 155 6.1 Knowledge of the university armed service units within universities 155 Contents v 6.2 University armed service units-university communication and liaison 157 6.3 Perceptions of the value of university armed service units to students 159 6.4 The benefits to universities of the university armed service units 161 6.5 Conclusions: the value of the university armed service units to universities 163 Chapter 7. Conclusions: the Value of the University Armed Service Units 165 7.1 The reach of the university armed service units across higher education 165 7.2 Equalities, politics and access to information about university armed service units 166 7.3 The comparability of university armed service units and other extracurricular student activities 167 7.4 The university armed service units and recruitment to the UK armed forces 169 7.5 Knowledge of the university armed service units within the higher education sector 170 7.6 Knowledge of university armed service units amongst employers 171 7.7 Researching the university armed service units 172 Appendix 1: Questionnaire used for survey of student USU participants, spring 2013 175 Appendix 2: Semi-structured interview schedule for graduate interviews 186 Appendix 3: Semi-structured interview schedule for Commanding Officer interviews 188 Appendix 4: Semi-structured interview schedule for university representative interviews 190 Appendix 5: Student survey participation by university and service unit 191 Appendix 6: Students’ assessments of skills development through university armed service unit participation 200 Appendix 7: Students’ assessments of skills development through degree programme 204 List of tables Table 1.1 Officer Training Corps units and participating universities 8 Table 1.2 University Air Squadrons, training locations and participating universities 11 Table 1.3 University Royal Naval Units, ship and base, and participating universities 15 Table 1.4 Military Education Committees, associated USUs and participating universities 18 Table 3.1 Proportion of USU participants by JACS subject codes, by percentage 52 Table 3.2 Awareness of USUs prior to arriving at university, by percentage 56 Table 3.3 Awareness of USUs prior to arriving at university amongst women, by percentage 57 Table 3.4 Motivations for joining by service unit, by percentage 60 Table 3.5 Motivations for joining a USU by service unit and gender, by percentage 61 Table 3.6 Pre-university views on an armed forces career, by percentage 83 Table 3.7 Student views on an armed forces career, by percentage 85 List of figures Figure 3.1 Age profile of USU survey participants, by percentage 46 Figure 3.2 Gender profile of USUs sample, by percentage 47 Figure 3.3 Proportion of sample attending independent school, by percentage 47 Figure 3.4 Length of time in unit at point of survey, by percentage 49 Figure 3.5 Proportion of USU participants by degree type, by percentage 50 Figure 3.6 University stage on joining USU, by percentage 51 Figure 3.7 Percentage of USU participants registered on degree programmes in medicine, subjects allied to medicine and biological sciences 53 Figure 3.8 Percentage of USU participants registered on degree programmes in physical sciences, maths, computing and engineering 53 Figure 3.9 Percentage of USU participants registered on degree programmes in social studies, law, business and mass communications 54 Figure 3.10 Percentage of USU participants registered on degree programmes in languages, historical studies, creative arts, education and combined studies 54 Figure 3.11 Significant sources of information about USUs, by percentage 58 Figure 3.12 Motivations for joining by service unit, by percentage 60 Figure 3.13 Motivations for joining OTC, by gender 62 Figure 3.14 Motivations for joining UAS, by gender 62 Figure 3.15 Motivations for joining URNU, by gender 63 viii The Value of the University Armed Service Units Figure 3.16 Critical thinking: student evaluations of USU and university degree 64 Figure 3.17 Numeracy: student evaluations of USU and university degree 65 Figure 3.18 Literacy: student evaluations of USU and university degree 65 Figure 3.19 Information literacy: student evaluations of USU and university degree 66 Figure 3.20 Synthesising information: student evaluations of USU and university degree 66 Figure 3.21 Organisation and planning: student evaluations of USU and university degree 67 Figure 3.22 Project planning: student evaluations of USU and university degree 68 Figure 3.23 Decision-making: student evaluations of USU and university degree 68 Figure 3.24 Initiative: student evaluations of USU and university degree 69 Figure 3.25 Independence: student evaluations of USU and university degree 69 Figure 3.26 Adaptability: student evaluations of USU and university degree 70 Figure 3.27 Problem-solving: student evaluations of USU and university degree 70 Figure 3.28 Time management: student evaluations of USU and university degree 71 Figure 3.29 Budgeting: student evaluations of USU and university degree 71 Figure 3.30 Communication skills: student evaluations of USU and university degree 72 Figure 3.31 Verbal interaction: student evaluations of USU and university degree 73 Figure 3.32 Presentation skills: student evaluations of USU and university degree 73 List of figures ix Figure 3.33 Leadership: student evaluations of USU and university degree 74 Figure 3.34 Teamwork: student evaluations of USU and university degree 74 Figure 3.35 Knowledge of the armed forces: student evaluations