Army Reserve units throughout Edinburgh will be opening their doors this week to host a series of recruitment events, starting on Wednesday 15 October. Units from 243 Military Police, 5 Military Intelligence and 105 Royal Artillery will be reaching out to prospective new recruits to showcase all the part-time job opportunities available.
Displays of equipment and skills from 205 Field Hospital, 154 Scottish Transport Regiment, 4th Battalion Parachute Regiment and 32 Signals Regiment will also be on show, highlighting the diverse range of job opportunities available to potential recruits looking for a new challenge outside of their day job, from nurses and medics to armoured vehicle drivers.
The open days coincide with one of the biggest recruitment drives the British Army has hosted in Scotland, which has involved every Regular Army and Army Reserve unit in the country. More than 200 soldiers have been out in the streets of Scotland drumming up awareness of the huge range of jobs currently on offer.
In the past 12 months, Scottish soldiers and officers have been involved in a number of essential overseas operations and exercises, including in Afghanistan, Africa, Australia and the USA. The varied roles on offer include everything from armoured vehicle drivers, telecommunications specialists and logistics experts, to doctors, vets and chefs.
Potential recruits will be able to speak to soldiers from the different units including the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, and see the latest equipment used by the British Army, including a Royal Military Police patrol car, the Pinzgauer gun towing vehicle, a weapons mounted reconnaissance and fire support vehicle, and a selection of light weapons. The events will be held every day from Wednesday 15 October until Friday 17 October from 7am to 6pm at Meadow Park, Melville Drive, Edinburgh.
An open day will also take place on Saturday 18 October at the Army Reserve centre in Lanark Road, Edinburgh featuring a display of Army equipment, including the Falcon, a high tech, highly secure communications system which allows soldiers in battle to analyse large amounts of data without being compromised by a technically advanced enemy.
Ed Fenton, Army Recruiting Group’s regional operations manager for Scotland said: “The Army Reserve in Scotland plays a vital role, not only in helping to keep Britain safe, but also taking part in humanitarian missions and completing operations and exercises all over the world.
“Joining the Army Reserve is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to do something extra with their spare time and benefit from a rewarding experience outside of normal working hours. These events aim to showcase the broad range of jobs and world class training and development prospects available to anyone who is interested in joining or finding out about the Army Reserves.
“No matter what your skills or background, the Army Reserve has something to offer you. There is much more beyond military skill; it can take you abroad, equip you with new skills, give you invaluable experience and develop strengths you didn’t know you had.”
The Army’s latest recruitment campaign – ‘More Than Meets the Eye’ – is designed to attract new recruits to full-time Regular and part-time Reserve roles. The campaign aims to put right people’s misconceptions of what a career in the Army is really like by showcasing the wide range of roles and opportunities available. Reservists and local communities are backing the recruitment campaign by putting on events up and down the country to demonstrate to the public what the Army Reserve is all about.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is completely revitalising the Army Reserve, formerly known as the Territorial Army (TA), and making some significant changes to dramatically improve the offer for those who choose to join. The MOD will be investing an additional £1.8 billion over 10 years to fund better training and modern equipment. It will also be growing its trained strength with fresh incentives such as increasing pay through a paid annual leave entitlement and giving better access to welfare support and health services.
For more information about the exciting full-time and part-time job opportunities with the Army, visit www.army.mod.uk/jobs, search ‘Army Jobs’ or call 0845 600 8080.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
