Officers from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) visited Bath College to put students through their paces with command tasks designed to encourage teamwork and leadership skills.
Students studying motor vehicle maintenance and performing engineering operations took part in a day’s worth of activities at Bath College’s Somer Valley Campus based outside and in the classroom. They were split into different groups and had to work together on a range of scenarios, including getting each member of the team across an invisible river without touching the floor.
Teams were given five minutes to plan and were timed as they made their way across the invisible river using planks, tyres, rope and an ammunition box. At the end, they listened to comments and feedback. Glyn Mountjoy, Automotive and Engineering Learning Coordinator, said: “We’ve put them in mixed class groups so that they are working with students they haven’t worked with before.
“It’s developing their team working skills, developing thinking skills and getting their minds to focus on something that’s completely different to normal college life.
“We say to them about having a positive mental attitude, that everyone working together achieves more, and that message is coming out today. We want them to be able to go into the workplace and have that team ethos.”
Sergeant Scott McNamee, from 130 Field Company, said: “At REME we inspect, repair, modify and maintain all army equipment, from tanks and helicopters to small rifles and pistols.
“Today we have a mixture of regular army staff and part-time reservists leading the command tasks. It’s good personal development for the students and we look for young apprentices, people who want a job in the engineering sector. We’re challenging them with leaderless tasks to try and find out who the standout leaders are among the group.”
Students studying motor vehicle maintenance, engineering, stonemasonry, carpentry, plumbing, refrigeration and electrical engineering have all been taking part in employability week at Bath College. During the week, Level One students studying motor vehicle maintenance and performing engineering operations met Barry Russell from Bath Audi who spoke to them about what he expects from his apprentices, why Maths and English are important and CV-writing skills.
Students also met Dan Church, a former Bath College student who is working as an apprentice with Bath Audi.