Explaining this course to your employer
Officers are the senior managers of the Royal Navy providing leadership to more junior ranks.
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) Initial Officer Training gives the basic skills required of an officer, including military leadership and teamwork skills, appreciation of the seagoing environment and professional knowledge necessary to act as an officer in the RNR.
The training takes a variety of different forms and is spread over 18-24 months. The majority of the training takes place at weekends and evenings in the Reservist’s own time.
What does the training involve?
To become an RNR Officer, the individual must first pass the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) which is a two-day assessment of leadership potential and suitability for training to become an RNR Officer.
There are several parts to the training:
Task-book training
The student is required to complete a training syllabus, known as a ‘task-book’. The book provides a structure for the training and includes modules on the man management system employed by the Royal Navy, communications, maritime skills, fire-fighting and damage control.
Ongoing training
Junior Officers under training are required to undertake two weeks consecutive training each year over the two-year period.
During year one, the two weeks of training takes place at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth (BRNC). This includes:
- Lectures, boat training and the delivery of group presentations to immerse the student in the Royal Naval leadership requirements of officers.
- Fitness tests
- An assessed teamwork and leadership exercise, spread over two days and nights outdoors
- Public speaking, fieldcraft, naval law, strategic studies and the realities of war.
During year two, Junior Officers spend two weeks at sea on a Royal Navy warship on deployment anywhere in the world with training including:
- Navigation and watch-keeping
- Spending time with each of the ship’s departments (weapon engineering, marine engineering, logistics) and learning how they operate.
What would it cost?
According to research endorsed by the Chartered Management Institute, if your employer were to pay for training to deliver equivalent employee development it would cost them in the order of £20,500.This relates just to the development which is relevant to a civilian workplace.
How would it benefit your employer?
RNR Initial Officer Training builds a broad range of skills and qualities, many of which are directly transferable to the civilian workplace. They include:
- Leadership – inspiring and motivating others to succeed
- Teamwork – ability to interact as part of a team and contribute to team spirit
- Planning – organising and delivering delegated tasks while making best use of available resources
- Communication – effective verbal and written communication including public speaking
- Effective intelligence – understanding of tasks, lateral thinking, analysis, asking probing questions, application of common sense
- Applying knowledge – putting theory into practice
- Reaction to stress – ability to think and act calmly and effectively under pressure, self‑discipline)
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