The training Jay Hill received in the TA has proved invaluable, not only for his recent period of mobilisation to Afghanistan, but also in his civilian role as an HGV driver.
Jay Hill is an HGV driver and has been in the Territorial Army for 12 years. He has just come back from a tour of Afghanistan where his unit was mobilised for force protection duty at Camp Bastion before being sent to the front line to participate in Operation Panther’s Claw. This is the second time Jay has been called out, on both occasions he has reaped the benefits from the intense pre-deployment training he received.
Better prepared
After going through the basic tests at Chilwell, Jay’s company was moved to Swinnerton for another 10 to 12 weeks for driver training. Although he has all the necessary licences now, he needed to get up to speed on the kind of vehicles he’d be driving in Afghanistan, such as Panthers and other armed vehicles. Their training included going out in VCPs, performing searches and protecting the old UN base. Following that they were shipped down to Lid for a week where they practiced test firing all the weapons systems they’d be using in Afghanistan.
We were well prepared. They certainly put us through our paces."
Bringing transferable skills to his civilian role
Jay’s TA training has been very useful in other respects too and not only for him but also his employer. All his HGV licences, including his hazardous chemicals licence, he got through the TA , allowing his employer to take advantage of his honed skills. In fact Jay is one of three Reservists they employ, all of whom got their HGV licences through the TA. And these aren’t the only qualifications his employer will see the benefit of:
I’ve come through the ranks in the TA, I’ve done numerous courses, I spent two years at a recruit training depot, teaching recruits. I’ve got a lot of teaching qualifications out of it now and I’ve got a management qualification, looking after guys. As a Platoon Sergeant I manage 32 guys and I’m getting to where I might want to be.”