15 1327 RN UTC Newsletter Winter.Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UTC Affiliation Newsletter ISSUE 3 | WINTER 2015 DERBY MANUFACTURING UTC FOST WINTER MESSAGE I am pleased to introduce the winter Royal Navy UTC affi liation newsletter; my fi rst since taking up the position of Flag Offi cer Sea Training and the third since we engaged in this rewarding programme in June 2014. Having visited, and opened, several UTCs around the country, I have been struck by the incredible enthusiasm from everyone at the colleges: students and teachers alike. The Royal Navy/UTC charter of engagement underpins our commitment to the enduring success of the affi liation programme and to the wider UTC community across the nation. It is extremely important to the Royal Navy to have this strong relationship as over half of the roles in our navy are based around engineering. UTCs not only provide an exciting environment, but an incredible opportunity for students to learn all aspects of science and engineering in world class facilities. I believe in the UTC programme and am privileged to highlight the Royal Navy’s support to such talented and driven young individuals - science and engineering is our future and it is evident these students are key to that future. On behalf of the Royal Navy, may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a rewarding New Year. Rear Admiral John Clink OBE, Flag Offi cer Sea Training and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Training) COMBINED CADET FORCE (CCF) Energy Coast UTC booked a place managed to get out on the water in the new S700 sailing yachts in the history books offi cially and also did some land based activities which included mountain opening the fi rst ever RN led CCF biking in Queen Elizabeth Country Park. The camp was designed unit at a ceremony attended by the to give cadets a small taste of the type of activities that RN Flag Offi cer Sea Training (FOST), cadets get up to and it proved really successful. There are now Rear Admiral John Clink OBE, who plans to have another camp for the UTC CCF RN cadets during oversees the running of Royal Navy August 16 which will offer a broader range of activities. cadets; the day was a huge success and you can read more in the The future is very bright for Cadet Expansion among the RN article by Georgia Taylor later in this Newsletter; it was a truly affi liated University Technical Colleges. The next University memorable occasion for all. Technical College to have a RN Section will be South Wilts UTC Bristol and Plymouth UTC Combined Cadet Force Royal Navy and in 2016 CCF RN HQ will be engaging with other RN affi liated Section will be opening in early 2016, after a great deal of colleges who do not yet have a CCF RN Section. Any UTC that is work over the last 12 months. The Staff involved in the CCF interested in starting a Royal Navy or Royal Marine CCF unit need have undergone training to prepare them for the challenges to submit an ‘Expression of Interest’ to the CEP Project Manager of running a CCF Section. Senior Cadets have been appointed at CCF RN HQ (Mrs Liz Worman [email protected]). In from these schools and they will be undergoing specifi c conjunction with developing RN sections in University Technical Leadership training to provide support to the Section. Cadets Colleges the government have recently provided further funding from UTC Plymouth have recently attended a 5 day camp to expand the RN/RM ‘Cadet Experience’ into areas around onboard HMS BRISTOL where they took part in a range of the country where a military connection would help develop activities. The main activities included a ‘try dive’ where cadets individuals. It is anticipated that a further 25 schools will have a were able to sample what life is like under the water. They also CCF Royal Navy or Royal Marine Section by 2020. 2016 A YEAR OF OPPORTUNITIES CAPT ANDY CREE; DACOS(E) & UTC LEAD Since our Summer Newsletter, the Royal Navy’s activity with its affi liated colleges; BTEA, Derby, Energy Coast, Plymouth and South Wiltshire has continued at high pace. This exciting period has seen land mark occasions for our affi liates with Derby and S Wilts opening their doors for business whilst BTEA and Plymouth reached the milestone of completing the fi rst round of examinations. In addition I’d like to announce Scarborough UTC as our most recent affi liate, taking our national engagement to six colleges. Regional affi liation is also being developed with South Devon UTC and scoping studies continue to identify synergies between the wider UTC community and the RN. Other initiatives soon to be publicised are the introduction of an RN UTC bursary scheme and accelerated training and promotion routes which will fully recognise and reward the unique skill-sets a UTC graduate offers future employers – please watch this space very closely if you are a student considering a career in the Royal Navy with the fi rst entry planned for September 2016. At the very heart of RN UTC collaboration is full implementation of our strategy which will see the RN develop projects to support UTC curricula, RN STEM ambassador engagement, student mentoring, increased Naval Base visits and use of RN facilities to help put vocational qualifi cations into employment context. The development of contextualised projects for our affi liates underpinned by leadership training and enrichment will be our main drive moving into the New Year. KeyKe enrichment events planned for 2016 include hosting the highly successfulsu visit weeks to Portsmouth, the annual RN UTC Young EngineersEn Challenge held at HMS Sultan and for the fi rst time UTC participationp at the Junior Leaders (JL) Field Gun Competition held at HMSH Collingwood. All these opportunities incorporate elements of naval ethose and are designed to build camaraderie and team spirit amongst thet students in attendance. An opportunity available to all UTCs is leadership training conducted by our Royal Marine Visibility Teams and STEM activities run by our ambassador network. These visiting teams are available to run on site practical leadership tasks and engineering challenges designed to develop student problem solving and team work, please contact Lt Cdr Matt Clarke RN on 02392 724569 to check availability in your region. The RN remains 100% committed to the enduring success of the UTC concept and our vision is to support you in developing the technical knowledge of students whilst imparting the command, leadership and management qualities required of our nation’s future leaders. As 2015 draws to a close we look forward to an extremely busy 2016 working to support UTCs nationally. Now follows an article from each of our affi liated UTCs giving a fl avour of life and the diverse activity being conducted by students on their journey towards a bright and exciting future as young engineers. Teenagers Tristan Russell and Domenico Greco are on their way to fulfi lling their personal and career aspirations three years after joining Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy (BTEA). The 16-year-olds are thriving at BTEA, which caters for pupils aged 14 to 19 and has a strong focus on engineering, science and computer science. The academy is sponsored by the University of the West of England and GKN Aerospace and also receives support from Airbus, Rolls-Royce and the Royal Navy. After securing a run of A*s and As in his GCSEs, Tristan hopes to go on to read natural sciences at the University of Cambridge. “Most of the lessons in my previous school were theory-based but when I visited BTE Academy I soon realised that everything here is much more hands-on. I’m a strong believer in the need to learn practical skills as well as theory,” says Tristan. “But I’m being given so many personal opportunities here on top of the academic side. I’ve applied to be a leading hand cadet in the Combined Cadet Force which is being launched here in the New Year and am attending a leadership camp where I’ll get the chance to do activities like sailing and white water rafting. “I’m also doing the Royal Navy Challenge, which has involved building a boat fi tted with a device that can pick up different objects off the sea bed, or from an iceberg. We have to write a report on our project, and then it goes to the research stage followed by national testing and demonstration. “Everyone here at BTE Academy is like-minded and it’s a great place to prepare for a career in engineering or science.” Meanwhile Domenico hopes to go on to secure an apprenticeship with local employer Airbus. He says: “I’ve already done a really enjoyable fi ve days’ work experience with Airbus last summer, working as part of the future projects team, designing new aircraft cockpits. “There’s no doubt that coming to BTE Academy has also helped me academically. At my previous school I was predicted mainly Cs and Ds in my GCSEs but having come here, I ended up with results made up of Bs and Cs. “I’ve also had the chance to develop personally. I went on the World Challenge trip to Swaziland this summer and am hoping to go to Sri Lanka next year.” Rhian Priest, principal at BTEA, said: “Tristan and Domenico are both great examples of what can be achieved through a positive attitude, allied to hard work and application. They are a credit to the academy and I’m sure they will go on to thrive in the years ahead.” DERBY MANUFACTURING UTC Hi! My name is Elsie, I am sixteen years old and I am an routes which are available after A-levels.