Life skills: Soldiers working with young people gain a great deal, whether they are heading back to the ranks or civvy street

Contact Lt Col Murdoch at
nicky.murdoch@skillforce.org for further information

Report: Cliff Caswell
Pictures: Steve Dock

LIEUTENANT Colonel Nicky Murdoch is well aware of how devastating it can be for Forces personnel when they suffer long-term illness or injury – she has been there herself.

Just over two years ago the senior officer, who had amassed a wealth of command experience from three decades of service, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news was a hammer blow to a career soldier who, as well as dealing with gruelling sessions of chemotherapy, was left feeling a huge sense of empathy for soldiers who were unable to be with their comrades at work.

“I had to leave my job and go through what was a very hard treatment programme,” the member of the Adjutant General’s Corps’ Staff and Personnel Support branch recalled. “Having been in charge of sickness and absence management at HQ 4 Division in Aldershot, I had now become part of that very process.”

After being pronounced clear of cancer, Lt Col Murdoch has found herself in a unique position. With a crucial understanding of the impact of long-term absence on troops, she is now playing the Army’s part in a successful charity initiative aiming to help bring recovering soldiers back into the work place.

Skill Force has been drawing on the expertise of ex-Forces personnel to develop the confidence and abilities of less fortunate youngsters in schools and colleges. But under a new scheme known as the Internship Programme, the charity has teamed up with the military to help soldiers who have been off wounded or sick to try their hand at instructing with the organisation.

Lt Col Murdoch is the Armed Forces point of contact managing this initiative, which is open to troops who are either heading back to Service life or civvy street. Her objectives include preparing personnel with the classroom skills they need in three weeks of study at courses around the country before they embark on a placement with youngsters.

In return, soldiers have the chance to re-engage with employment and return to the rhythm of working life as part of the Army’s recovery pathway.

“It’s really important that we give the guys and girls the opportunity to see what they can do in the education environment,” she said in an interview at her Aldershot base. “For some of the Service personnel on this programme, the experience with Skill Force can be completely life-changing.

“It is also worth noting that instructors with the charity have been delivering some brilliant results, particularly with children who have become disengaged and excluded as well as those for whom English is not their first language.”

Would-be instructors accepted on the Internship Programme should not expect an easy ride. Under the expert guidance of professionals including former teachers, they have to become proficient in the fundamentals of classroom management, lesson planning and, crucially, child protection issues.

Then, for up to six weeks or more, they could be working on the front line of some of the country’s most testing education establishments, putting all they have learned into practise.

But of the two courses run as this issue went to press, all candidates had passed and picked up recognised civilian qualifications along the way.

Skill Force head of education Lucinda Elliott, who previously held a senior teaching position in a secondary school, believed the values and standards that Forces personnel learn in military life are an invaluable means of gaining respect.

“You very quickly recognise that it is not just teachers who have something to offer young people,” she added. “Some of these guys have great life experience – they have some stories to tell and young people will relate to them.

“We had one person here who really took to the instructor role with Skill Force and looked at teaching as a career as soon as he left the Services.”

For the soldiers taking on the demands of the classroom, having the opportunity to impart their skills and experience to young people is an enticing prospect. While accepting that the process is a steep learning curve, they emphasised that good preparation paid off.

Rfn Aaron Mason (4 Rifles), who suffered a heat injury in Iraq during Op Telic 10, said his experience had been rewarding. “I think this is a brilliant scheme for guys like me, even though the pupils that you work with can be a bit of a handful,” he admitted.

“Lt Col Murdoch is also great – she is somebody that you can always go and talk to and ask any questions.”

Sgt Lee Potter (4 Rifles) was equally enthusiastic. “I think this has to be a good thing for soldiers,” he added. “When you have an injury you can feel very negative but the internship scheme gets you out of your normal working environment and gives you the opportunity to start feeling positive again.”

Thinking positive is something soldiers do extremely well. From being the best in sports arenas to fighting a war in Afghanistan, troops are more than accustomed to difficult challenges.

Working as instructors, they are showing that the battle continues even when they are injured. They are imparting their life experience and knowledge to a new generation – and that is a huge and valuable gift.