Army Familiarisation Weekend
Fri, 05 March 2010
The army familiarisation training for students from Tameside College took place at Deverell Barracks in Ripon during January 2010. This was conducted in conjunction with the Force Engineering Module for TA Infantry Assault Pioneers and Royal Engineers.
The weekend began when six raw recruits embarked from Tameside College on an experience of a life time when transport took them to the city of Ripon. It was arranged for the students to be instructed on a selected group of subjects in connection with their BTEC course. Students gained accreditation towards unit 4 of their BTEC National Diploma in Construction course during the weekend, along with living and experiencing military life, food and accommodation.
On the Saturday, the students were woken at 5:30am to have breakfast and were then marched to an assembly point to attend a military works parade. They then had to attend a lecture on concreting, field geometry, manual handling and potholes. The students then dressed up in protective clothing and had fun designing formwork and doing concreting. They made unusual shapes to be used on a demolition range where the effects of live explosives will be measured on these targets, later this year. They also dealt with road repair and had a practical task involving digging up and relaying part of a damaged track and repairing the camber and drainage problems identified.
The weekend also involved a cultural walk around the city including a visit to Ripon Cathedral and the market area to observe the influence of culture and economy upon the design of buildings in the area. One student commented, “The trip around the city was fun and the buildings are interesting. The staff at the base were very helpful and they showed us many interesting things.”
All the students received certificates for Engineering Basic Skills and Manual Handling and were also awarded a commemorative T shirt emblazed with the Royal Engineer Logo.
Overall the students found the weekend an interesting and rewarding experience.