As we move closer to September, many young people will be preparing to start or return to university. For soon-to-be Freshers, the first few weeks of the new semester provide a chance to settle into new surroundings, meet new friends and explore the many social and sports societies on offer.
Whether you are a student looking to push yourself out of your comfort zone or a seasoned adventurer keen to build your skill-set outside the lecture theatre, joining a University Air Squadron (UAS), Officers’ Training Corps (UOTC) or Royal Naval Unit (URNU) may be the ideal extracurricular activity.
The aim of these university units is to give students a taste of military life, developing valuable leadership and teamwork skills while also enjoying opportunities to travel and train abroad, play competitive sports and form lifelong friendships with their peers, all without any obligation to go into the Armed Forces after graduation.
Over the last academic year, members of the UOTCs, UAS’ and URNUs connected to Scottish universities have taken on a wide range of challenges and activities, enabling them to grow and develop physically, socially and culturally.
East Scotland URNU had a particularly busy semester leading up to the summer holidays: Officer Cadets gained sailing qualifications during an expedition around the South Coast, hiked in the Cairngorms, went on battlefield tours in Northern Ireland and Orkney and took a tour of HMS Queen Elizabeth, to name just a few experience.
If weekends on the high seas do not appeal, students who get involved with a UAS in Scotland can take advantage of opportunities to complete a Service Vocational Attachment (SVA) at RAF Lossiemouth, as Officer Cadets from both East of Scotland and Glasgow and Strathclyde UAS did last month. This week-long placement allowed the Officer Cadets to visit the base’s various facilities, including the Quick Response Alert (QRA) team, the Typhoon squadrons, the RAF mountaineering unit and the Atlantic Building, home to the P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
The Glasgow and Strathclyde UAS students also travelled to Berlin during the summer for an Air Power Study Exercise (APSE). They were tasked with preparing a presentation for different locations in the city such as the Berlin Wall and other Cold War sites, helping them to refine their research and public speaking skills.
Finally, the UOTCs offer students the chance to gain additional qualifications in leadership and military skills, and to complete their training around their varying academic timetables. For example, Officer Cadets from both City of Edinburgh and Glasgow and Strathclyde UOTC recently took part in Annual Deployment Exercises (ADX) at Barry Buddon Training Centre.
During their stays, they put their year of training into practice in a range of shooting, Fieldcraft, navigation and teamwork challenges.
Whether a future career in the Armed Forces is the end goal or not, becoming an Officer Cadet with a UOTC, UAS or URNU can help many students to discover their own potential and open more doors to the job market in the future.
