Senior students and Sixth Formers seized a brilliant opportunity to learn team building and leadership skills from the best – the Royal Navy.
WO1 Richy Gray, manager of an RN outreach team, asked them if they thought listening and effective communication were vital to the successful running of a multi-billion-pound warship and the students had to agree.
The various years worked in small groups in a series of workshops. They participated enthusiastically in tasks designed to encourage forward planning, practical arithmetic, creative thinking and physical dexterity.
The Navy trainers represented the diverse modern service, with men and women of a number of ethnicities. Their time in the Senior Service – 32 years in Richy’s case – and areas of specialisation also varied widely.
This was not a recruitment exercise, although a few likely candidates were told they were excellent material for a Services career! The skills learnt were useful in daily home life, at school and generally in future workplaces.
Mr Kemsley, Student Futures Adviser at St Joseph’s, who arranged the visit, said, ‘The Royal Navy Attract Team for Greater London and the South East injected a great deal of fun into this leadership and teambuilding event. The activities caught participants’ imagination as students practised taking charge, effective communication and collaborative working. The workshops held throughout the day were highly interactive and age-relevant.’
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