On Wednesday 16th October, 10 students from the college participated in a wide range of competitions at RAF Wittering to take silver at the Recruitment Challenge Cup Day.
Over 110 students from 9 further education colleges took part in the annual event. CWA put forward one team of 10 Air and Defence College students.
After a warm-up with Wittering’s Physical Education Instructors, the students competed in a variety of individual and team competitions, including shooting, fitness tests and drill, as well as an RAF Knowledge competition and team shooting, in both of which CWA took first place in. With good results in other areas they finished second overall.
Students were also asked to create and deliver a five-minute presentation on a given RAF trade theirs being Cyberspace Communications Specialist, which the students performed exceptionally well in.
Learning and skills lead for the Air and Defence course at the college, Jo Evans, said:
“I am extremely proud of the team and their exceptional performance during the day. Not only did we place second overall, but we were the only one of the Air and Defence Colleges to get any placings."
Air and Defence College Course Director Jo Evans with WG Cmdr Tracy Broome and the winning CWA team.
They all worked extremely well together, bringing their collective RAF knowledge together to win the competition. Ultimately, it was the students’ enthusiasm, commitment and dedication that paid off and they should be as proud of themselves as I am of them.”
Students were invited to learn about the various trades and professions in the Royal Air Force. Students also had the opportunity to look at aircraft old and new; visiting the Harriers in the Heritage Centre and Tutor aircraft with student pilots talking to them about a career in the RAF.
Royal Air Force Wittering is home to the RAF A4 Force, the deployable engineering and logistics squadrons which support UK air operations across the world. The students met trainee pilots from 16 Squadron, drivers from 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron.
The competition was devised by Squadron Leader Tamzin Keenlyside, Community Careers Liaison Officer. She said:
“The event was devised to encourage the students to engage in activities/skills that they would require if they were to apply to the RAF and/or during Phase 1 of their RAF Training. All the teams and all the students really gave it their all, whether in the academic elements or the physical ones – the team work and enthusiasm was fantastic! The CWA ADC students did particularly well in the academic and the skills challenges and should be incredibly proud coming 2nd in a competition where the opposition was particularly tough!”
Overall CWA scores:
Team shooting - First place
RAF knowledge competition - First place
Drill - Second place
Presentation - Second Place
Individual male fitness - Second place – Joe Hawes
Individual Shooting - Second Place – Joe Hawes
Overall - Second place