Royal Engineers to benefit from new training deal

Royal Engineers to benefit from new training deal

A Defence Policy and Business news article
2 Sep 08
The Ministry of Defence has signed a major new deal to enhance training for the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) at sites in Kent, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, it was announced yesterday, Monday 1 September 2008.

A 30-year Public Private Partnership, worth some £3 billion pounds, will improve essential training and provide significant investment for new and refurbished soldier accommodation, delivering around 1,700 soldier bedspaces.

The sites affected are the RSME Headquarters and Construction Engineer School in Medway, Kent, the Combat Engineer School in Minley, Hampshire and the relocation of the Defence Explosives Ordnance Disposal School and National Search Centre from sites in Medway, to Bicester in Oxfordshire.

From January 2009, military trainers will oversee private sector experts who will teach Royal Engineers skills such as bricklaying, construction and plumbing. This arrangement will free up 300 military personnel to the Field Army from the Training Division.

The RSME Contract has been awarded to Holdfast Training Services, a consortium led by Babcock and Carillion. The consortium will be responsible for the delivery of training support, including equipment support, transport, retail, catering and leisure facilities across all sites.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Bob Ainsworth, said:

"This is a landmark deal for the Royal School of Military Engineering, which secures the future delivery of world class training for the Army's engineers.

"It also provides significant investment in soldier's accommodation, which is part of the overall transformation programme underway across the defence estate. These sites will now transform into efficient centres of excellence, with brand new facilities."

Lieutenant General Nick Parker, Commander of Regional Forces for the Army, added:

"The RSME PPP contract combines our best military engineering training with best practise in the commercial sector. This will deliver improved training, for the Royal Engineers in particular, that will feed directly into front-line support."

"The RSME PPP contract combines our best military engineering training with best practise in the commercial sector. This will deliver improved training, for the Royal Engineers in particular, that will feed directly into front-line support."
Lieutenant General Nick Parker

The mission of the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) is to provide well-trained and motivated Military Engineers to meet the operational requirements of the Armed Forces. (The RSME mission also includes the delivery of military working animals and their handlers, but this activity is outside the Project). The RSME is an operating division within the Army Recruiting & Training Division, which is responsible for the recruitment and individual training of all officers and soldiers in the Army.

The changes announced yesterday also include the relocation of two units - the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal School (DEODS) and the National Search Centre (NSC). The units will move from their current location at Lodge Hill and Chattenden in Medway, to Bicester in Oxfordshire. The land released in Medway will allow the development of a new, sustainable community as part of the Thames Gateway Regeneration Initiative.

The RSME PPP contract brings together the very best in military engineering training with best practise from the commercial sector to deliver modernisation and improvements to training over the longer term, together with better Single Living Accommodation for Service personnel, coupled with improved value for Defence. Although in excess of 400 civilians will transfer to the contractor these will be handled in accordance with existing legislation; we do not envisage any redundancies arising out of this transfer.

Peter Rogers, Chief Executive, Babcock International Group, said:

"We have worked in close partnership with the Ministry of Defence for a number of years to bring this major project to a successful conclusion. We look forward to working with our partners to provide world-class training and facilities management services for the RSME.

"This contract significantly strengthens our order book, which now stands at over £5 billion, and underpins the long term performance of our business."

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