You are here: Home > About Us > News & Articles > MoD Training Estates
Catalyze facilitates Defence Training rationalisation
Situation
Following the termination of the Defence Training Rationalisation PFI project in October 2010 on the grounds of affordability, the need for estate rationalisation and training modernisation remained. If anything, with growing pressure on the Defence budget the need to find an acceptable solution became more pressing.
The Defence Training Rationalisation IPT was re-assigned into the Defence Technical Training Change Programme (DTTCP), part of the Defence Change Portfolio.
Based upon prior knowledge of the services Catalyze could offer through such programmes as the Naval Base Review and other Defence projects, members of the DTTCP team turned to Catalyze for help.
How we helped
Initial discussions identified the full range of options to be considered, along with the criteria to be used for selection. This was very important as it allowed the wider stakeholders and MOD scrutiny community to be convinced of the integrity of the MCDA process, taking into account a range of factors including the wider needs of defence and security in the UK, what is best for those serving in the Armed Forces and their families, and the broader regional economic and social consequences.
Following a great deal of initial data gathering and analysis, stakeholders including representatives of the three Services, the Defence Colleges and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation were brought together in a number of structured workshops in the spring of 2011.
These workshops served to air all concerns and issues that would influence the provision of the highest quality of defence technical training (which covers Aeronautical Engineering, Communications and Information Systems and Electro-Mechanical Engineering) and maintain the trained output that is vital to supporting on-going Operations across the Globe. At the same time all involved recognised the case for change and the financial challenges now facing Defence. The workshops culminated in a Decision Conference of well-briefed senior officers representing the complete spectrum of diverse stakeholders in May 2011.
Outcome
- A clear set of recommendations emerged as the basis for further detailed work to develop robust proposals that could be put to the Secretary of State.
- On the 18th July, The Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox announced plans for rationalisation of the Defence estate, including Defence Technical Training. RAF Lyneham is the preferred location for future training, with withdrawals announced from Arborfield in Berkshire and Bordon in Hampshire.
The comprehensive, inclusive and transparent process employed enabled difficult but defensible decisions to be made in a relatively short time, and with the participation of the Scrutiny community.
In a letter to Catalyze, Captain Bob Rusbridger, DTT Individual Training Sponsor, wrote:
“…I believe the key has been the ability of your process to fully engage personnel across the wide spectrum of stakeholders, ensuring that everyone has had an appropriate voice in leading us towards those sites that we’ll select for a detailed Investment Appraisal. Having a transparent audit trail for our future decision making will be essential as we move this project forward.”
Cdr Karen McTear, DTTCP SO1 Training added:
“Catalyze responded to our needs in a very timely and flexible manner and demonstrated an extremely ‘customer facing’ approach which was vital to the success of this piece of work. Stakeholders have commented on how collaborative and effective the process has been, especially in bringing together senior representatives of the three services (each having their own vested interests) to resolve this shared problem together.”
The full Ministerial written statement can be found in Hansard at:
and has been reported by the BBC at: