Potential Regiment Officers course

Last updated

The Potential Regiment Officers Course (PROC) (Normally pronounced "Pee-Rock") is an assessment tool of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the United Kingdom, for people wishing to become an Officer in the Royal Air Force Regiment. Currently the candidates, who as of September 2017 can be male or female, will already have passed the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre. It has been in existence since April 2008, where it was previously known as the Potential Regiment Officers Acquaintance Course (PROAC). This name was changed due to confusion over whether the course was assessed or merely an introduction to the RAF Regiment.

Contents

Requirements

Successful attendance at the course is required of any person who plans to train as an officer in the RAF Regiment. A candidate will be at least 17 years and 6 months of age at entrance, will hold a British passport, will have a minimum of 5 GCSEs graded A-C and 2 A-levels, or will have achieved a certified comparable education.

Content and location

PROC is a four-day assessment course, designed to complement the military's Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre, for men and women wishing to become an RAF Regiment Officer.

The course is held at RAF Honington, in Suffolk in East Anglia, England. Some training may also be given at other airbases or facilities.

The course is designed to discover a candidate's leadership qualities and ability to provide continued command in stressful situations. One's ability to communicate effectively, and one's physical condition, are also assessed.

Fitness assessment

Consisting of:

All of these are carried out to the minimum required standard for the candidates' age and gender in accordance with RAF fitness standards; they are not considered arduous, and are rather a formality.

Gym assessment

The candidate will undergo 6 different gym assessments and aim to get the highest score they can. They will have 90 seconds on each, followed by 60 seconds to prepare for the next assessment. The assessments are:

Presentation

The candidates will have written a presentation on a current affairs topic of their choice prior to coming - this can be about anything, and is absolutely not restricted to military matters, so long as it has occurred within the previous few months. The candidates will deliver a 10 minute presentation on the subject at the officers' mess, after which they will field questions. When this is done, they will be taken to the bar to talk to serving RAF Regiment officers, and thereafter will have dinner at the mess.

Assault Course

The candidates traverse the RAF Regiment assault course as an initial introduction, and are invited to try the obstacles individually. After the candidates are familiar with the course, they are ordered the run the course, which begins and ends with a 100-metre sprint around evenly spaced barrels. The course is timed and every obstacle must be completed to pass. Some candidates have difficulty getting over the nine-foot wall; to avoid this problem it is important that candidates practice over-grip pull ups. The course must be completed within around 5 minutes for the candidate to be successful.

Interviews

The candidates will be interviewed by IC Regiment Recruitment flight. The interview will likely consist of their knowledge of RAF Regiment history and infrastructure, and also their motivation for joining.

Shortly after the interview they will be summoned for the tell, in which the Regiment officer will tell them what recommendation the RAF Regiment will be making with regards to their advancing to Initial Officer Training at RAF Cranwell.

Typical Course Structure

Day 1

Day 2

Day3

Day 4

Related Research Articles

Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these cases a flying officer usually ranks above pilot officer and immediately below flight lieutenant.

Flight Lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and RAF, and as FLTLT in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and has sometimes also been abbreviated as F/L in many services; however, it has never been correctly abbreviated as "lieutenant". A flight lieutenant ranks above flying officer and below a squadron leader and is sometimes used as an English language translation of a similar rank in non-English-speaking countries.

Air Training Corps

The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including Commandant Air Cadets, a Full Term Reserve Service RAF officer, at the rank of Air Commodore. Although many ATC cadets go on to join the RAF or other services, the ATC is not a recruiting organisation for its parent service.

Officer cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron however these are not trainee officers and most do not join the armed forces.

Army Officer Selection Board(AOSB) is an assessment centre used by the British Army as part of the officer selection process for the regular army and Army Reserve and related scholarship schemes. The board is based at Leighton House, Westbury in Wiltshire, England in a dedicated camp. It is commanded by the President AOSB, a Colonel in the British Army, supported by a number of vice-presidents. The current President is Col. Lucy Giles.

The beep test, also known as the PACERtest or PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), the 20 m Shuttle Run Test (20 m SRT), or the multi-stage fitness test (MSFT), is a running test used to estimate an athlete's aerobic capacity (VO2 max). The test requires participants to run 20 meters back and forth across a marked track keeping time with beeps. Every minute or so, the next level commences: the time between beeps gets shorter; participants must run faster. If a participant fails to reach the relevant marker in time, they are cautioned. A second caution ends the test for that runner. The number of shuttles completed successfully is recorded as the score of that runner. The score is recorded in Level.Shuttles format (e.g. 9.5).

An assault course is a special sort of trail that combines running and exercising. It was more popular in the 1970s than it is now. It is heavily used in military training. The prime use is to evaluate progress and weaknesses within the team involved.

Aircrew brevet Aircrew badge in RAF, British Army and other commonwealth nations

An aircrew flying badge is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army, Indian Air Force, Pakistan Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, South African Air Force and Sri Lanka Air Force. An example of a real Pilot Brevet is as opposite:

All Arms Commando Course

The All Arms Commando Course (AACC) lasts for 13 weeks and is run by the Royal Marines at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. Members from any of the United Kingdom's Regular Armed Forces and overseas exchange personnel can attend to serve with 3 Commando Brigade. On completion of the course the successful candidate earns the right to wear the green beret, and to wear the "Commando Dagger" on their uniform. The Royal Marines expects that nearly half of the volunteers will drop out or be dismissed before completing the AACC.

Ranger Assessment and Selection Program

Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) is an 8-week course held at Fort Benning, Georgia. As of 2009, RASP replaced both the RIP for enlisted Soldiers and ROP for Officers, both commissioned and noncommissioned and below to be assigned to the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch)

The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve , often abbreviated to RAFVR(T), is a Volunteer Reserve element of the Royal Air Force specifically appointed in a training role within the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Members of the RAFVR(T) have no call-up liability and often operate part-time with the Air Experience Flights and Volunteer Gliding Squadrons, which provide flight experience for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.

The Potential Royal Marines Course, often abbreviated to PRMC, is the Royal Marines selection course for Potential Recruits. The course is held at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, and is designed to assess a candidate's suitability for entry into the Royal Marines.

United Kingdom Special Forces Selection is the selection and training process for members of the United Kingdom's three regular Special Forces formations: 22 Special Air Service, Special Air Service Reserve, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the SBS (Reserve). Members of the SAS and SBS undergo common selection up to the award of a sand-coloured beret to SAS Troopers whereupon SBS candidates undergo further selection to qualify as Swimmer Canoeists and SAS personnel undergo further specialist training. Until the late 1990s candidates for the SAS and SBS underwent selection under the auspices of the prospective unit.

Admiralty Interview Board

The Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) is an assessment centre, founded by Admiral Sir John Fisher in 1905, that is used by the Naval service as part of the officer selection process for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. It is an equivalent of the Army Officer Selection Board and the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre of the Royal Air Force. The board is based at HMS Sultan in Gosport, Hampshire within a self-contained compound.

The Royal Air Force Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre, located at Adastral Hall, RAF Cranwell, is the centre through which every potential RAF officer must go to be selected for Initial Officer Training (IOT) and through which potential non-commissioned aircrew must go to be selected for the Non-Commissioned Aircrew Initial Training Course (NCAITC). The selection centre is attached to two large hangars, plus the candidates' mess. The centre is home to everything required by a candidate during their selection. This includes a large aptitude testing centre, medical centre, interview rooms, syndicate rooms and the leadership exercises.

Pegasus Company is a training and selection organisation of the British Armed Forces based at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick, North Yorkshire. P Coy run the 'Pre-Parachute Selection' courses for Parachute Regiment recruits and regular and reserve personnel from across the UK armed forces who volunteer to serve in a parachute role within 16 Air Assault Brigade.

Southampton University Air Squadron

Southampton University Air Squadron is a unit of the Royal Air Force which provides basic flying training, adventurous training and personal development skills to undergraduate students of the University of Southampton, University of Portsmouth, Bournemouth University, Southampton Solent University, University of Chichester and University of Winchester. The aim of all University Air Squadrons is to allow those potential RAF officers to experience service life and to allow them to decide whether they are suited to it. There is no obligation to join up, unless an RAF bursary is successfully applied for. SUAS is parented by MoD Boscombe Down where it flies Tutor aircraft. SUAS Town Headquarters (THQ) is in Southampton City Centre, which shares the Southampton UOTC building.

Royal Marines recruit training is the longest basic modern infantry training programme of any Commonwealth, or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) combat troops. The Royal Marines are the only part of the British Armed Forces where officers and other ranks are trained at the same location, the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone, Devon. Much of the basic training is carried out on the rugged terrain of Dartmoor and Woodbury Common with a significant proportion taking place at night.

1 Parachute Battalion Paratroop unit of the South African Army

1 Parachute Battalion is the only full-time paratroop unit of the South African Army. It was established on 1 April 1961 with the formation of the Parachute Battalion. After 1998 this unit was renamed to Parachute Training Centre. It was the first battalion within 44 Parachute Brigade until 1999 when the brigade was downsized to 44 Parachute Regiment

Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron is a unit of the Royal Air Force which provides basic flying training, adventurous training and personal development skills to undergraduate students of the University of Durham, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumbria University, Sunderland University and Teesside University. The idea behind all University Air Squadrons is to allow potential RAF officers to experience life in service and to allow them to decide whether they are suited to it. There is no obligation to join up, unless a bursary is successfully applied for. NUAS is parented by RAF Leeming where it flies Grob Tutor aircraft. NUAS Town Headquarters (THQ) are in Newcastle upon Tyne.

References

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.