- £16 million HMS Victory restoration project
- Visit of Armed Forces Minister, Nick Harvey to Fort Rosalie
Last week the MoD singled out 29 apprentices from across the UK as engineers of the future and awarded them the prestigious prizes in the MOD’s Apprentice Awards 2011, for their work across Defence.
According to a source at the MoD they have been recognised for their excellent progress and results achieved during a number of challenging apprentice competitions, such as building a bomb disposal robot and honing engineering project management skills. But it was Wayne Bantick, 21, from Southampton, who stood out as the MOD’s Apprentice of the Year during an awards ceremony in London. He works at the Defence Munitions Gosport depot as a trainee weapons fitter.
He said: “I was over the moon when I found out that I had won; I was up against 20 other people for the awards. I think the MOD’s apprenticeship is such a valuable scheme because it is so diverse. It’s open to absolutely everybody and it is really good for hands-on and practical learning. The MOD is such a flexible organisation and they will do everything to accommodate you.”
Bantick added: “I’ve always wanted to become an engineer as I’ve always built things with Lego and the apprenticeships just suited my lifestyle. Following my apprenticeship I will have the opportunity to go to Defence Equipment and Support in Abbey Wood to do a placement with a project team to see what it’s like.”
He was presented with a gold medal and certificate for winning the title, along with a cash prize and a trophy that will be displayed at theGosport facility.
Last year nearly 500 apprenticeships, plus a further 300 advanced apprenticeships, were completed across the Department, with others embedded with Defence Industry.
He was part of the winning team which picked up the Engineering Project Management Team Event, part of the Tom Nevard Memorial Competition.
Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Andrew Robathan who presented the apprentices with their awards said: “The engineers of the future are not born; they’re made and they’re nurtured. Apprenticeships play such an important role in that. That’s why the MoD continues to value and support apprenticeships. Our scheme remains an enviable one as it’s a unique opportunity to work on some of the country’s most advanced engineering and equipment projects. From our perspective, it’s a shrewd investment in our future workforce.”
Robathan revealed: “Take the work on the new aircraft carriers. We have an apprentice supporting the MOD project team, while others are embedded with industry. This colossal project has reinvigorated industry apprenticeship schemes across the six shipyards engaged. Almost 800 apprentices are currently involved and this number is set to increase as production continues to ramp up. Wherever they’re working, these apprentices are proud to learn their trade on such a prestigious project which will be at the heart of Britain’s defence for decades to come.”
Each MOD apprenticeship is three years long and, after qualifying, most apprentices go on to employment across the Department.
Bantick was joined at the ceremony by fellow apprentices from across the country, who also received awards. A full list of winners can be found below.
Chief of Defence Materiel, Bernard Gray said MOD engineers played a vital role in every part of the MOD – up to and including on the frontline.
His words: “The UK’s Armed Forces are the best in the world and to be able to maintain that status, not only do we need great people to be members of the Armed Forces, but our Armed Forces need to be supported by the best technical and engineering skills.”
Adding: “That’s what we have got within Defence, Equipment and Support, the apprentices and civil engineers are absolutely critical to the Defence effort and are integrated into teams in the UK, on the frontline in Afghanistan and across the world.”
Mark Skinner, DE&S Apprentice Team Leader enthused: “We are delighted to once again celebrate the success of our apprenticeships and we are very proud of them and what they have achieved. Our apprentice teams across the country work incredibly hard with our apprentices, taking them through challenging development programmes that produce our engineers of the future. It is incredibly important that we continue to nurture high calibre individuals who display clear craftsmanship and engineering management skills.”
Skinner further remarked: “Our Armed Forces are rightly acknowledged as the best in the world but to support the military systems and equipment requires engineers of the very highest calibre. We are really proud in the MOD to be able to offer our challenging engineering apprenticeship scheme, which is so important to the future success of our organisation and its support to the Armed Forces in providing the seed corn for our engineering profession.”
A full list of winners and their awards is as follows:
The Tom Nevard Memorial Competition:
Mechanical Section (Machining and General Fitting)
Winner (1st Phase): Luke Gosling, from who works at Defence Support Group (DSG) Donnington
Runner Up (1st Phase): Andrew Leadbeater, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
Winner (2nd Phase): Keith Edwards, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
Runner Up (2nd Phase): Chris Jones, who works at Defence Support Group Donnington
Mechanical Section (Hand Skills and General Fitting)
Winner (1st Phase): Thomas Breddal, who works at DE&S Abbeywood
Joint Runner Up (1st Phase): Andrew Reeves, from who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
Joint Runner Up (1st Phase) Ryan Fox-Novak, from who works at Defence Support Group Donnington
Winner (2nd Phase): Sam Talman, from who works at Defence Munitions Gosport.
Runner Up (2nd Phase): Jack Jones, from Defence Support Group Donnington
Mechatronics 1st Phase:
Winners in the paired element: Zoe Cook and David Enchill, who work at DE&S Abbey Wood. Zoe also went on to win the individual element of the prize.
Electronic 2nd Phase:
Winner: James Baker, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood
Joint Runner Up: Michael Sarr, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood
Joint Runner Up: Thomas Buxton, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood
Engineering Project Management Team Event:
Winners: Peter Slater, who works at RAF Alconbury
Thomas Leach, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood, Bristol
Wayne Bantick, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
William Kennedy, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood, Bristol
Runners Up: Matthew Powell, who works at Defence Support Group Donnington
Hossein Khoshtaghaza, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood, Bristol
Lee Dumper, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
Richard Johnson, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood, Bristol
The Elvy and Coast Charity Award:
Winner: Hayley Barnden, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood, Bristol
The Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation Medal:
Winner: Samuel Jones, who works at RAF Alconbury
Commended: Keith Edwards, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
The Sir David Cardwell Memorial Prize:
Winner: Anthony Walker, who works at RAF Menwith Hill
Apprentice of the Year
Gold Medal Winner: Wayne Bantick, who works at Defence Munitions Gosport
Silver Medal Winner: Lance Finney, who works at DE&S Abbey Wood
Bronze Medal Winner: Steve Wilson, who works at Defence Support Group Donnington
In another development the MoD has concluded arrangements to return HMS Victory to its former glory
HMS Victory, the world’s oldest commissioned warship, is to be returned to her former glory thanks to a 10-year restoration programme, the MOD announced last week.
It will be the most extensive restoration of the 246 year old warship since she was repaired after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as Lord Nelson’s flagship.
Vigilance learnt authoritatively that the work will begin this month and would be undertaken by BAE Systems Surface Ships at Portsmouth Naval base under a £16M contract awarded by the MOD.
A Defence source said the restoration will include: the ship’s masts, rigging and bowsprit; replacing side planking and removing decayed timber to replace with hand-fitted teak to maintain the structural integrity and the unique profile of the vessel.
Captain John Newell, Head of the HMS Victory support team at the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation in Bristol said: “This is a great opportunity to carry out the repairs needed to preserve the ship for the nation long term. BAE Systems Surface Ships has assembled a very experienced and world class team and we look forward to working with them.”
Whilst Vice Admiral Charles Montgomery, Second Sea Lord and Commander in Chief of HMS Victory, said: “HMS Victory is an icon for the Royal Navy and the nation as a whole. This restoration project will enable future generations to experience for themselves a warship that has an enduring and far reaching effect on national and international history.”
John O’Sullivan, BAE Systems Project Manager for HMS Victory said: “This phase of restorative work is necessary to guarantee Victory’s long term future and our project team are looking forward to getting started on the job of maintaining the ship for future generations to enjoy. “
Our Defence Team gathered that the repairs will be carried out by Team Victory which is made up of shipwrights and other specialist staff employed by BAE Systems including traditional shipbuilders, Bell Rigging who are based in London and Gloucester based T Neilson & Company who specialise in traditional wooden shipbuilding skills.
The contract has been signed for an initial five years with an option to extend for a further five sustaining a number of jobs at BAE Systems Surface Ships and maintaining traditional ship building skills in the UK.
ARMED FORCES MINISTER VISITS RFA FORTROSALIE
Last week no doubt was full of activities for the MoD as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Fort Rosalie hosted Nick Harvey – Armed Forces Minister – in the Plymouth sea exercise areas, giving him the opportunity to witness all the operational facets of a front line RFA whilst participating in a simulated war training exercise.
RFA Fort Rosalie has recently returned from supporting Op Ellamy off Libya and is re-rolling to take up her next deployment, Atlantic Patrol Task (North) for Overseas Territory Protection, Wider Regional Engagement, Humanitarian Aid, Disaster Relief and Counter Narcotic Ops for more than six months. Fresh from the front line,FortRosalie was ideally suited to demonstrate the RFA’s military, logistical and specialist skills.
After a very early start, Mr Harvey arrived onboard by helicopter allowing to him appreciate the considerable size and stature of this support ship. Once onboard and pre-exercise briefings completed, Mr Harvey was then able to view the simulated air attacks build against the Task Group from the Bridge, followed by a series of internal battle damage training scenarios. Observing a fire and then flooding exercise at close quarters, the Minister saw at first hand the complex fire fighting and damage control skills demonstrated by the Ship’s Company.
Informative visits to the ships Hospital, cargo holds and HQ1 Control Centre also allowed Mr Harvey to meet and engage with a wide range of members of the Ships Company, many of whom had been onboard FortRosalie during Op Ellamy.
Finally, to complete his visit, Mr Harvey returned to the Bridge to witness a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) evolution with the German frigate, FGS Hessen, highlighting the seamanship skills required when transferring stores between two ships in very close proximity to each other.
Completing what proved to a busy and informative day, as he left RFA Fort Rosalie, Mr Harvey said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to visit the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship FortRosalie and its crew. They have demonstrated not only the central role that the RFA plays in supporting the Royal Navy but also how inherently flexible and effective these ships really are. Today we were witnessing a multi-national exercise but RFA ships have been playing a vital role in Op Ellamy, in Counter-Piracy, often in a singleton role, and the host of other tasks that UK maritime forces conduct. Indeed,FortRosalie will be deploying on operations again next year. Above all, I was impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the ship’s crew. I salute their courage and commitment.”
RFA Fort Rosalie’s Commanding Officer, Captain Ross Ferris, said: “It’s been a great honour and a privilege to host the Minister today and to be able to show him what enormous value an RFA and particularly in this case, a FortClass ship, brings to Joint and Naval Operations. Having returned from a thoroughly successful Op Ellamy only a month ago and having already re-rolled for an extended tour in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, whilst remaining at very short notice to deploy in support of the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group (RFTG), our capability, utility and flexibility has been clearly demonstrated. As we are in the middle of our bespoke and intense training package for the forthcoming deployment, I’m especially proud of my Ship’s Company, who have pulled out all of the stops to show what they are made of.