The British Army contributes as much to UK plc as Marks & Spencer or BP,
according to the head of its training and development arm.
Brigadier Mark Filler, director of the Educational and Training Services
(ETS) branch, said the Army places 9,000 people back into the civilian
population every year "better educated than they were when they
arrived".
He said it was the Army’s ‘duty’ to help them get a second career when they
leave military service.
The ETS is the Army’s equivalent of an organisation’s training department,
with the same overall aims as those in the civilian world.
"We see this [training] as being no different from commercial
companies," said Filler. "We want a competitive advantage. They want
to make profits, but we want to be successful in the mission and win the
war."
Current projects include the pilot of a new online foundation business and
management degree in conjunction with Bournemouth and Leeds Metropolitan
universities. There is also a partnership with the Chartered Management
Institute, which enables soldiers to gain externally certified qualifications.
Filler said both initiatives are part of the Army’s aim to develop wider
partnerships with professional institutions, awarding bodies and universities.
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"At the end of it all, we want the empowered, thinking soldier –
someone who can react and respond," he said.
● For Filler’s full interview, see this month’s Training Magazine.
