A Teaching and Learning Assistant who works at a school in Chesterfield is taking part in Reserves Day today.
Able Seaman Tristan King, aged 25, works full-time at Outwood Academy Newbold in Chesterfield, as well as serving part-time with the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) in Nottingham in his spare time.
Reserves Day, taking place on 8 September, is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the important part that reservists play in supporting the UK’s Defence capability.
The event gives colleagues in a reservist’s civilian workplace the opportunity to ask questions about serving with the Armed Forces and learn more about the Reserve Forces generally.
Tristan is taking part in Reserves Day for the first time this year, he explained, “I joined HMS Sherwood, the East Midlands’ only RNR unit, in September 2008 but unfortunately I have never been able to take part in Reserves Day due to other commitments.”
As a Teaching and Learning Assistant Tristan works in the Autism Resource Centre at the school supporting students with varying abilities both in the classroom and on a one-to-one basis.
Although Tristan’s job at school and his role in the RNR are different, Tristan believes that he has developed a number of transferable skills.
He continued, “Thanks to my reservist training I am able to communicate to a team more effectively, or if necessary lead a team to complete an activity. I think I am now also more able to adapt to changing environments, which makes me a more effective team player.”
As a reservist Tristan is a member of the Mine Warfare Branch, a branch that is still fairly new to him as he recently transferred into this specialism to set himself a new challenge.
Tristan said, “I’m always looking to push myself to achieve new personal goals. I am currently working towards achieving my next promotion through completing key courses, one of which was the Leading Rates Leadership Course that allowed me to complete a variety of tasks both in and out of the field, doing a dynamic leadership exercise as well as other tasks.
“Being a reservist has allowed me to take part in many opportunities that may have otherwise been inaccessible for me. I’ve travelled to Cyprus with the RNR twice to complete training where I got a chance to test my combat skills on the ranges and take part in another combat exercise which was good fun.
“I’d certainly encourage anyone up for a challenge to join the Reserve Forces, I’ve met some great friends and continue to develop skills that can be transferred in to my civilian workplace.”
Jayne Freeman, Inclusion Manager and Tristan’s line manager at Outwood Academy Newbold, said, “I feel it is important to support reservists in the workplace as they bring a fantastic amount of skills and experience to their full-time job.
“Tristan is an effective team member and quickly adapts to a new environment and any challenges without question.”
HMS Sherwood is recruiting, to find out more call 07818 017825 or email [email protected].
