Engineering Look at Life at 124 Recovery Company REME, Army Reserves on Wednesday 30th November. Our local Army Reserve unit, with support from JobCentre Plus Newton Aycliffe and UTC South Durham opened its gates to 24 local students and residents who were keen to have a taste of what life as an engineering Army Reserve soldier was like. After an initial walk around and being organised into small teams.
They were introduced to the subject matter experts who took them through an interactive experience looking at military vehicle recovery methods, weapon inspection and repair, automotive engineering considerations plus general military skills and hardware. As the only electrical and mechanical engineering Army Reserve unit for Durham/ Tees Valley, 124 Recovery Company is at the heart of Combat Service Support of a vast range of other part time Reserve organisations. They also assist the Regular Army on exercise and operations in the UK and abroad.
This year alone has seen REME Reserve soldiers from Newton Aycliffe deployed to Kenya, Nigeria, Falklands, Belize, Germany and have even found time for Adventure Training in Spain and a Battlefield Study in Gallipoli, Turkey. The aim of the ‘Engineering Look at Life’ was to introduce Year 12 students from UTC and to the JobCentre Plus clients to the rewards, professional development and pride that are part of being an Army Reserve soldier, and how the potential to gain leadership and management skills work positively with employers who recognise the benefits of employing Armed Services personnel.
The Army Reserves represents an opportunity for anyone aged 18-49 to make a positive contribution to the UK Armed Forces while at the same time enjoying the opportunity to learn, make friends for life and be sent to places that would otherwise be out of some people’s reach. In early 2017, 124 Recovery Company will run a Physical Readiness Look at Life which will allow candidates to prove to themselves that they are fit enough to apply for an Army Reserve role, as by far this is the biggest barrier people must overcome and the reason a lot of them don’t apply in the first place. Further details will be published in Newton News and on our Facebook page.
