Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS) is a university sponsorship programme for students who want to join the Royal Navy
, British Army
, Royal Air Force
or Engineering and Science branch of the MOD Civil Service
as technical officers after they graduate; Army sponsored students are destined for either the Royal Corps of Signals
, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
, Royal Engineers
or The Royal Logistic Corps. Students on the scheme are sponsored by the MOD to study accredited technical degree programmes.
(DTR). The DTR identified that the Royal Navy
, British Army
, Royal Air Force
and MOD Civil Service
had difficulties in recruiting engineering officers. As a result DTUS was created whereby sponsored students study at 7 partner universities (Aston
, Birmingham, Loughborough, Newcastle, Northumbria, Southampton and Southampton Solent). Additionally, those individuals with high A-level grades get the opportunity to study at Oxford or Cambridge universities. DTUS is expected to reach and maintain a strength of 550-600 students in September 2010.
, Thunderer Squadron – Commander
and Typhoon Squadron – Wing Commander
. There are a Royal Navy Lieutenant
, an Army Captain
and a Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant
working as Training Officers in each Squadron. Additionally at each Squadron there is a SNCO from the same service as the Commanding Officer and a civilian Administrator. Assisting at each Squadron are In-Service Degree Officers who are Army Commissioned Officers reading for a degree at the partner university.
(Midshipman
for Royal Navy sponsored students). All students receive an annual bursary and also receive training pay for the activities that they participate in; those who complete a certain number of training days also receive a reserve forces bounty
. In return, students are expected to remain physically fit (pass an annual fitness assessment known as a PFA), advance each academic year and serve for a minimum of 3 years in the Armed Forces or MOD Civil Service after graduating from Initial Officer Training (IOT).
The majority of entrants on the DTUS are graduates of the Defence Sixth Form College (Welbeck)
near Woodhouse
, Leicestershire
. However, students studying or scheduled to study an approved degree at either of the partner universities may also apply to join the scheme.
Taurus Squadron - Aston University
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
or Engineering and Science branch of the MOD Civil Service
DESG
DESG is a community of 9,000 engineers and scientists working within the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Civil Service to equip and support the UK Armed Forces with military hardware.-Recruiting:...
as technical officers after they graduate; Army sponsored students are destined for either the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
, Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
or The Royal Logistic Corps. Students on the scheme are sponsored by the MOD to study accredited technical degree programmes.
Background
The DTUS was created following the 2001 Defence Training ReviewDefence Training Review
The Defence Training Review was established by the then Defence Secretary, Lord Robertson, on 22 July 1999 toexamine all individual training and education, Service and civilian, in the British armed forces. The review report, entitled Modernising Defence Training, was published in 2001...
(DTR). The DTR identified that the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and MOD Civil Service
DESG
DESG is a community of 9,000 engineers and scientists working within the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Civil Service to equip and support the UK Armed Forces with military hardware.-Recruiting:...
had difficulties in recruiting engineering officers. As a result DTUS was created whereby sponsored students study at 7 partner universities (Aston
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
, Birmingham, Loughborough, Newcastle, Northumbria, Southampton and Southampton Solent). Additionally, those individuals with high A-level grades get the opportunity to study at Oxford or Cambridge universities. DTUS is expected to reach and maintain a strength of 550-600 students in September 2010.
Aim
The aim of DTUS is ‘to educate and develop selected individuals in order to prepare them for further training and careers as engineer or technical officers in the Armed Forces or as graduate entrants to the MOD Civil Service’.Support Units
DTUS students are able to choose the partner university they wish to study at and select a degree course that has been approved by their sponsoring service. Whilst at their partner university, all students belong to a support unit who are responsible for their leadership development, mentorship and administration. They also closely monitor academic progress, to that end the Commanding Officer of each support unit has visiting lecturer status at their university to support this. There are 4 support units throughout the UK:- Taurus Squadron based in Birmingham supports students at Aston UniversityAston UniversityAston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
and the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
. It also administers students at the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
- Thunderer Squadron based in Southampton supports students at the University of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
and Southampton Solent UniversitySouthampton Solent UniversitySouthampton Solent University is a university of 17,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre....
.
- Trojan Squadron based in Newcastle supports students at Newcastle and NorthumbriaNorthumbria UniversityNorthumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
universities.
- Typhoon Squadron based in Loughborough supports students at Loughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
. It also administers students at Cambridge university.
Staffing
Each support unit is commanded by the same equivalent rank from each Service; Taurus and Trojan Squadrons – Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, Thunderer Squadron – Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and Typhoon Squadron – Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
. There are a Royal Navy Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, an Army Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
and a Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
working as Training Officers in each Squadron. Additionally at each Squadron there is a SNCO from the same service as the Commanding Officer and a civilian Administrator. Assisting at each Squadron are In-Service Degree Officers who are Army Commissioned Officers reading for a degree at the partner university.
Students
Each military sponsored student is a member of their respective service reserve forces (and holds a Service number) and holds the rank of Officer CadetOfficer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
(Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
for Royal Navy sponsored students). All students receive an annual bursary and also receive training pay for the activities that they participate in; those who complete a certain number of training days also receive a reserve forces bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
. In return, students are expected to remain physically fit (pass an annual fitness assessment known as a PFA), advance each academic year and serve for a minimum of 3 years in the Armed Forces or MOD Civil Service after graduating from Initial Officer Training (IOT).
The majority of entrants on the DTUS are graduates of the Defence Sixth Form College (Welbeck)
Welbeck College
Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College is a selective sixth form college in Woodhouse, Leicestershire, England, providing A-Level education for candidates to the technical branches of the British Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence civil service and privately funded students.Welbeck is located near...
near Woodhouse
Woodhouse
- Places :*Annesley Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England*Dronfield Woodhouse, Derbyshire, England*Holbeck Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England*Horsley Woodhouse, Derbyshire, England*Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England*Over Woodhouse, Derbyshire, England...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. However, students studying or scheduled to study an approved degree at either of the partner universities may also apply to join the scheme.
External links
Taurus Squadron - Aston University