Teenager so proud after graduating Army college
AN ABERDARE teenager was one of hundreds of junior soldiers who celebrated their graduation in a military passing out parade.
The parade at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, marks the completion of the soldiers’ British Army Junior Entry training at Uniacke Barracks, where they are all paid to train.
Junior Soldier Ryan McLean, 16, from Aberdare, and his fellow recruits will now go on to serve in various Corps and Regiments of the British Army to begin the next part of their specialist training, where they will learn how to do their jobs at home and abroad.
Junior Entry soldiers go on to become engineers, IT specialists, infantry soldiers, as well as more technical specialists.
The prestigious ceremony is the culmination of many months of hard work and determination from all the junior soldiers graduating.
Their final training exercise is a gruelling, 30-hour battle camp challenge across the Yorkshire Dales encompassing all the training they’ve learned during their time at AFC Harrogate.
Junior Soldier McLean, who studied at Aberdare Community School, will go on to serve with the Royal Engineers.
He said: “Graduating from AFC Harrogate in front of my friends and family is something that I am very proud of doing. They are all really proud and happy for me.
“I wanted to join to have the chance to travel the world and experience different things, and at Harrogate I got to travel to Normandy and had a go at rock climbing, which was great.”
He added: “As a junior soldier, you learn core life skills such as leadership, teamwork and determination. I have made loads of friends and met new people and have become much more confident in my own ability.
“I’ve been paid really well for someone of my age and I’ve got some really useful qualifications. I’m now really looking forward to the next stage of my Army career.”
Every year, AFC Harrogate takes in 1,350 schoolleavers in two intakes.
“As the UK’s largest apprenticeship provider, the Army offers junior soldiers apprenticeships in more than 45 technical trades in engineering, construction, IT, animal care, logistics and telecommunications and 500 different educational qualifications – from GCSEs to degrees, after they pass out from AFC Harrogate.
General Officer Commanding, Army Recruiting and Training Division, Major General Chris Tickell said: “All the junior soldiers passing out today should be proud of all that they have achieved during their time at AFC Harrogate.
“The training these soldiers go through is tough, but undeniably leads to excellent opportunities for personal and career development and allows people’s talents and skills to shine through.
“The Army will give you the chance to become a better version of yourself. It will invest in your future development, and all junior soldiers are trained and developed in skills and qualifications that can be used to grow a career within the Army or for use in a civilian career.”