 Ellen Harrison, Survival Equipment Training Officer (SETO) at HMS Sultan, joined the Royal Navy in June 1990 as a non-sea-going Wren Air Engineering Mechanic, training at HMS Raleigh and HMS Daedalus before eventually transferring to her first Sea Harrier Squadron, 801 NAS, on board HMS Ark Royal in April 1993. Over the years that followed, she worked in various departments relating to the Sea Harrier until it was decommissioned in 2006. During this time she served with all three Harrier Squadrons and all three Aircraft Carriers.
After the decommissioning, she says, 'I spent 18 months at RAF Wittering as the Quality Assurance Coordinator with 20 (R) Squadron as part of Joint Force Harrier. I passed the Admiralty Interview Board in 2005 and was selected as the first female Senior Upper Yardman (Aviation) (SUY(AV)) in September 2007. I attended BRNC Dartmouth in June 2008 and took up my first appointment as the SETO at HMS Sultan in October 2008.'
During Ellen's Service career she has gained an array of military qualifications, including Equality and Diversity Advisor, Workplace Risk Assessor, and Managing and Leading Lean. As far as civilian qualifications are concerned, she says 'I joined the Navy with no qualifications but soon realised that if I wanted to progress my career I needed to gain some GCSEs. After that, I got the bug for studying and gained the majority of my other qualifications through self-study.' Hence the list of civilian qualifications she has obtained, to date, during her Service career is a long one:
GCSEs in General Studies, English Language, Mathematics, Business Studies, Physics and Geography
O level Commerce
AS level Psychology
A level Business Studies
City & Guilds Electrical and Electronic Craft Studies Pt 2
Certificate in Education (Further Education)
Key Skills level 3 in Communication
D32/D33 NVQ Assessor in Aircraft Engineering Maintenance
HNC Aeronautical Engineering (just completed, using ELC funding).
'I actually sat my AS Psychology exam', she says, 'while on detachment in Finland, and the Physics exam in Naval Base Point Magu, California!' She is currently studying for ILM level 5 in Coaching and Management, and has applied to use SLC funding for this qualification.
In June 2003, she had a job teaching Sea Harrier Weapons, which was when she discovered her liking for instructing: 'I wanted to encourage others to undertake learning, and to give back something that I had taken on my journey through lifelong learning, so I began teaching O level Commerce at the Education Centre. It really does make you feel as though you have achieved something. My students achieved a 100% pass rate, which spurred me on to gain a teaching qualification. The Education Centre funded my stage 1 qualification and I used ELC to fund the second stage.'
She welcomed the advice from her education advisor 'to ensure my PDR is up to date before applying for funding' and, as a result of using ELC for a second time, has since also gained CertEd (part-time - one evening a week, with assignments and teaching practice) and an HNC in Aeronautical Engineering (as mentioned above), which was done via distance learning and built on the engineering qualifications she already held. She says, 'I plan to use my third for a BA (Hons) in Engineering and Management through the Learning at Work degree, with the University of Portsmouth Partnership Programme.' Her aim is, eventually, to be able to teach aircraft engineering as a civilian. The qualifications she has already gained have also helped her military career in that she now possesses 'the skills to effect change in my department'.
Her advice to other Service people registering for or using ELC is that 'It is the best way to gain a high-level qualification. It motivates you to complete the course as you feel as though you don't want to waste the opportunity.' She adds, 'I would recommend to anyone to undertake studying and to make full use of their ELC and SLC entitlements. There is no feeling like racking up academic achievements. It makes you feel as though you have fully utilised your spare time, especially while being deployed.'
When asked how reading Courses4Forces has helped her, she comments, 'The magazine is very informative and gives the reader a better understanding of how they can use their funding, whether it is ELC, SLC or resettlement. Even though I am not due to leave the RN yet, I look in the magazine to see what courses are available, to give me an idea of what I might like to do as a second career.'
Who would argue with her comment that 'I really am taking lifelong learning to the nth degree!'?
Many congratulations to Lt Ellen Harrison RN on winning the Courses4Forces £250 prize for the best learning activity. If you would like a chance to win the £250 we will be giving away each quarter in Courses4Forces, write to: C4F Prizewinner, Bulldog Publishing Ltd, 1 Church Lane, Whittlesford, Cambridge CB2 4NX and ask for an entry form. We will also need a photograph - preferably not a passport-style mugshot.
You can also become one of our many Courses4Forces £250 prizewinners. Simply fill in the entry form and then post it back to the above address.
Please see link below to download the prize winner entry form.
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