25 Training Regiment

The best kept secret in The RLC

Following relocation and establishing itself at the Defence School of Transport, 25 Training Regiment RLC is fast becoming the place to serve.

With the opportunity for personnel to gain a broad range of qualifications, the Regt is developing into a highly skilled force to be reckoned with. From Urban Operations Instructors, General Service Driving Conversion Instructors, Army Trainer Mentors, to a broad range of experts in their own trades and fields, including former Heads of Trades, the Regt consists of a motivated, multi-traded work force.

The expertise is not limited to the technical aspects of The RLC. With numerous Para and Commando trained personnel and a strong core of instructors with a natural ability for soldiering, the Regt is never more comfortable than when it is in the field. Its ranks are also filled with Corps and Army level athletes. They include: Army swimmers and water polo players (Cpl May), RLC rugby league players (Sgt Orrell), RLC ice hockey (Cpl Atwell), RLC cricket (Cpl Felix) and Army motorsport (Cpl Penfold). This broad combination of personnel and experience provides an inspirational first look to the new Initial Trade Training Trainees (ITTT) undertaking the Combat Logistician course.

The Regt prides itself on pushing every member of the team to be the best they can be. This is achieved through instructor coaching and mentoring and adopting new practices and techniques; all underpinned by lessons learnt through pre-employment training and continuous professional development. Currently using a mix of online and distance learning packages, while delivering continuation training to small groups of trainees, the Section Commanders are grasping this opportunity to try new methods of instructing and to shape lessons, helping to further their own development as well as the trainees.

The Regt also prides itself on building strong links with the community and through this, developing a ‘Culture of Service’ within the trainees. Over the last six months, the Regt has worked closely with the ‘Plant a Tree Today’ (PATT) Foundation, a charity which specialises in delivering green projects in conjunction with military veterans suffering from mental health issues. Since September 2020, trainees and supervisory staff have helped to plant over 12,000 trees. The veterans have thoroughly enjoyed working with those in the military with whom they could easily relate and the trainees have developed a sense of wider community and service. The Regt is also partnered with the Prince’s Trust. Trainees and staff have joined groups within the local area and helped to run team programme courses, many gaining Level 2 qualifications in leadership in the process.

During the last 18 months, the DST gymnasium has had a complete overhaul. £20,000 has been spent on modernisation for 24/7 access, £85,000 on training equipment that would challenge any CrossFit gym in the country and installing a £10,000 automatic belay system on a first-class climbing wall. With multiple opportunities to join sports clubs across DST, the trainees and staff are spoilt for choice and a lot of effort is spent ensuring that free time is spent valuably. The gym is just part of a £60 million investment into the DST site as part of the Army site modernisation plan. 25 Regt also has a unique relationship between its personnel, creating a motivated and close-knit team where the Cpls are empowered to engage up and down the Chain of Command, forging an environment where every opinion matters. All of this has developed 25 Regt into a forward thinking and adaptive environment, providing a unique, personal and highly rewarding experience for those that serve in its ranks. The Regt truly is becoming the best kept secret in The RLC… now is the time to spread the word.

8 25 Trg Regt Gym 8 ITTT during the BCS phase

WO1 Stuart Southwick

I am immensely proud and really excited to be in the operating seat as the newly appointed Port Operator Head of Trade, ensuring our people have a full spectrum of tools in their inventory to deliver a purpose no matter what rank. I believe in helping our people achieve their best outputs, which drives motivation, self-pride and morale. This is my first Sustainer message to you since assuming my appointment and I would firstly like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the exceptionally hard work and dedication you have put in during yet another demanding year. I am looking forward to getting out and about to meet all of you over the next six months or so.

COVID-19 continues to dominate the Defence space on how we operate, placing severe restrictions on us all and forcing us to adapt at pace to how we accomplish our enabling activities for UK Defence worldwide. In particular, recent support to the Operation CABRIT RIP (Relief in Place) posed some interesting challenges which saw interoperability on display as we worked closely with our twinned Regiment, 519 LaRochelle France. They were utilised to accomplish the offload in Paldiski, with myself as the Head of Trade deployed at Very High Readiness due to the Port Task Group (PTG) being isolated with a positive Covid case.

There have been many other commitments across the globe and demand continues to grow along with the exponential growth of the Defence shipping programme and with future and ongoing support to Operations CATTALO, CABRIT, BATAN, KIPION, FORTIS and Belize to name a few.

PORT OPERATOR

Exercise DEFENDER 21 is ramping up and will see a PTG deployed on the STRAT RORO for the duration of deployment, calling at a multitude of ports around southern Europe in direct support of the exercise as well as other routine port stops.

RSEME as the mobile crane lifting operations Training Requirements Authority, have had a major overhaul with the new revised courses for mobile crane operations. These include the Slinger Signaller Lifting Operations, Supervisor Lifting Operations and the Appointed Person Lifting Operations. This has meant that all of the existing qualifications were made immediately null and void. However, we reacted quickly and now have a number of individuals conducting distributed training to revalidate and update the entire wet trades to enable us to continue in lifting operations, with the focus being on standardising the content to enhance unit capability and strengthen unit-delivered training.

Manning for the trade is healthy with a steady stream of Combat Logisticians trained and eagerly awaiting their initial Port Operator trade courses. The trade itself is fully manned and as such is enabling us to fulfil all our roles. Retention is steadily improving and the voluntary outflow has rapidly reduced - only time will tell if Covid had a big part to play. That is a double-edged sword of course, with ten percent of the trade now spread across ATRs and at DST. The apprenticeship Logistician scheme also continues to grow and professionalise the trade as we develop and compete in the civilian sector.

Various doctrine and policies for the trade are undergoing a review and we are looking at how our civilian counterparts do business to streamline operations and work more efficiently. At the same time, work is ongoing to develop CPD and we are also engaging with CILT to professionalise the qualifications we already teach and also to develop higher qualifications in Port Management.

Once restrictions are lifted, we will be holding a Port Working Group alongside Port Study Serials to update and inform everyone of future changes and to enable good feedback from the ground too. If anyone has any issues and would like to reach out directly, I would love to hear from you: stuart.southwick809@mod.gov.uk

8 Lifting Operations Course at the

Sea Mounting Centre

DRIVER COMMUNICATION SPECIALISTS

WO1 (Cdr) Mark Gill

In concert with many trades within the Corps, the Driver Communications Specialists have been heavily involved in reinforcing their units’ collective efforts in support of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many great stories have emerged from these experiences and the invaluable work conducted has provided our soldiers with an opportunity to test their mettle in a unique, austere and uncertain climate, building camaraderie and gaining confidence in their technical and soldiering abilities. The trade has also maintained its focus on the numerous standing commitments, concurrently providing communication support in countries across the globe despite the many constraints that the virus has imposed on us all.

A pressing piece of work that lockdown did afford space to complete was a much-needed review of the trade manning structure to ensure that we are prepared and able to meet future demands. The trade will retain its current strength but with some changes to the proportionality of ranks to ensure greater sustainability, a smoother career flow and provision of technical support to enable the effective delivery of capability. This aspiration will include senior trades people being placed within influential positions to provide greater direction and guidance to the Chain of Command whilst acting as key points of contact and providing an essential governance function for the soldiers within the trade. Whilst the new structure is set for release in Spring 2021, all changes being made will be completed incrementally over a transitional period with the aim of minimising the impact on soldiers’ existing assignment dates.

Looking ahead, we will continue to engage with and invest in new technology. One key work strand that has been identified is greater investment in defensive cyber training which will enable the trade to provide technical knowledge of the threats to the information we convey. An initial draft of a training pipeline is in place which features Cyber 101, Immersive Labs and CompTIA modules. This training will provide greater confidence and integrity to the systems we currently use and allow us to better meet the communication challenges of the future.

Recently released, the Other Ranks’ Pay adjustments from 1 April 2021 has seen greater recognition for the trade. An acknowledgement of the complexity of the technical capability we deliver has been

8 WO1 (Cdr) Mark Gill handing over to

WO1 Mark Underdown

rewarded with a pay supplement rise to level 2. This will hopefully go some way in re-invigorating morale within the trade.

My time as Head of Trade is now nearing an end and WO1 Mark Underdown will take up the reins. Knowing Mark as well as I do, I have every confidence that he will continue to steer the trade forward, providing first class support to Defence whilst acting as a champion and fearless advocate for our greatest resource – our people.

It has been an absolute honour and privilege to serve the trade and wider Corps during my tenure, service which would have been impossible without the support of trade members and the many people behind the scenes that make things happen. Although I move on to pastures new, I will inevitably retain my fondness for the trade and I look forward to crossing paths with some of the great people I have worked with again in the future, wherever and whenever this may be.

8 The current trade structure 8 The future trade structure

WO1 (Cdr) Oliver Rogers

I took over as the Head of Trade for RLC Chefs in August 2020, but unfortunately COVID-19 scuppered my plans to get out as much as possible and see the great work that the trade is doing. That said, the RLC Chefs are still proving their worth. In the last 10 months, they have assisted with the delivery of over 18 million meals with 100,000 of these going to isolated troops within the Firm Base.

Over the years, PAYD (Pay As You Dine) has been a real talking point across the whole of Defence. The Army Messing Working Group formed, chaired by Maj Gen Eastman OBE GOC RC as the Army Messing advocate. The group proactively seek to improve the entire lived experience of our Service Personnel and the team, assisted by trials conducted within 6 Division and input from the Institute of Naval Medicine, allowed us to review and implement a refreshed Transit Packed Meal - a change that has been wanting for nearly 30 years. The work was a collective effort and without the buy in from our three industry partners, it would not have been possible.

Working the kitchens is difficult under any circumstances and with added COVID-19 restrictions, almost impossible. However, the unwavering robustness of The RLC’s Chefs has meant that they have continued to deploy in support of their units, delivering the absolute best to the Army and Defence.

The RLC Strategy has really got the RLC Chefs thinking. As one of the most displaced of all RLC trades, the Chefs predominantly work outside of mainstream RLC units and bringing them back into the Corps fold is hugely important.

COMMAND CATERING WARRANT OFFICER

8 An example of the newly refreshed

Transit Packed Meals

As communication is key, a working group has been established to pitch a trade ethos, one that fits perfectly within the Strategy.

The Honorary Catering Advisor for Defence, David Morgan Hewitt, has been extended in position. He was set to hand over the reins in 2020, but unfortunately the impact of COVID-19 on the industry saw the selected replacement drop out. That said, David Morgan Hewitt has been pivotal in addressing the issues across Defence, not just with the food, but with equipment and infrastructure also. It can only be a good thing to have his experience and influence for another term.

The RLC Chef trade has recognised some of its outstanding achievers in the last few months. The Mackenzie Award, which is given to the Chef that has given the most back to Continuous Professional Development, was awarded to Pte Umit Rai of 22 Signal Regiment. He was gifted with a swanky set of chef's knives from the Army Catering Training Trust and with my recent success on selection as a RLC Conductor, I was honoured to award him a Conductor's Coin.

We have also boarded the Army nominee for the Public Sector Armed Forces Caterer of the Year SSgt Marc Wrangham of 3 PARA was the worthy winner and will now go against the other two Services. The Army have not won since 2012 so we eagerly await the results which will be promulgated later in the year.

Things are also on the up for the British Army Culinary Arts Team who have been busy in the background selecting RLC Chefs to compete at Salon Culinaire (albeit virtually).

8 Socially distanced work in the kitchens