Officer cadets from universities in the North East of England have tested their military skills during an exercise in Sennelager, Germany.
An Officer cadet operating a General Purpose Machine Gun during an urban phase of the exercise.
Officer Cadet firing the L131A1 General Service Pistol (Glock 17 Gen 4) on the ranges in Sennelager, Germany under direct supervision of an instructor.
Officer Cadets conducting bayonet drills with the standard issue L3A1 Socket Bayonet.
Officer Cadets conducting bayonet drills with the standard issue L3A1 Socket Bayonet.
An officer cadet acting as troop commander passing information to her headquarters via her personal role radio (PRR) during the urban phase of the exercise.
Officers Cadets from the Northumbrian University Officer Training Corps tested their acquired military skills during a four-day exercise in Sennelager, Germany.
Officer Cadets conducting bayonet drills with the standard issue L3A1 Socket Bayonet.
Students by day, soldiers in their free time, the 140-strong force faced several challenges during the four-day exercise, including live-firing of weapons and bayonet skills.
"Officer cadets do military training as part of the Officer Training Corps. It’s a three-year syllabus where they develop military skills, learn to lead and command."
Warrant Officer Class 1 Rikki Alderman, Regimental Sergeant Major at the Northumbrian University Officers’ Training Corps (NUOTC), said: “Officer cadets do military training as part of the Officer Training Corps. It’s a three-year syllabus where they develop military skills, learn to lead and command.
“We’ve deployed to Germany for our exercise week, putting three platoons on a 24-hour rotation which includes a range firing activity, bayonet range, offensive and defensive tasks.”
"We have individuals that are on engineering degrees, law degrees and medical degrees. It’s really diverse and a great opportunity for students from universities in Northumbria to come together."
The NUOTC is made up of students from many different backgrounds and interests.
WO1 Alderman added: “We have individuals that are on engineering degrees, law degrees and medical degrees. It’s really diverse and a great opportunity for students from universities in Northumbria to come together.”
"I was in the cadets at school, really enjoyed it and was told about the Officer Training Corps (OTC) through a family friend. It seemed like fun to carry on with the military experience throughout university life."
Officer Cadet Euan Hanson, 21, studying Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University, said: “I was in the cadets at school, really enjoyed it and was told about the Officer Training Corps (OTC) through a family friend. It seemed like fun to carry on with the military experience throughout university life.”
Danielle Johnstone, 20, studying Sport and Exercise Science at Newcastle University and a former cadet at school said: “A friend on freshers week told me about the OTC so I went along to the opening evening and loved it.”
"I really enjoyed the attack last night, we got to play the enemy. It was really good fun, watching everyone trying to move all the weapon parts and to put into place what we learnt this year."
Danielle added, “I really enjoyed the attack last night, we got to play the enemy. It was really good fun, watching everyone trying to move all the weapon parts and to put into place what we learnt this year."
The University Officer Training Corps is based at 28 universities across the UK, from Aberdeen to Exeter and Belfast to Norwich. It comprises about 3,000 officer cadets with 1,400 students joining each year.
The Army Officer Internship Programme offers a great opportunity for university students to gain military experience while earning a competitive salary. Placements across a wide range of cap badges are available, including the Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Corps of Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Service and Royal Logistic Corps.
The programme is designed to give students a taste of Army life before, during or after university with the flexibility to return to studies and decide on their future path.
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