University Officers' Training Corps

University Officers' Training Corps
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeTraining establishment
RoleOfficer Training
Size19 Units
Part ofSandhurst Group
Army Reserve
University Service Units
WebsiteOfficial website
Insignia
AbbreviationUOTC, OTC

The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC),[1] also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC),[2][3][4] are British Army training units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[5] which recruit from universities. Their role is to allow university students the opportunity to undertake modules of Reserve Officer training designed to fit around their degree and to develop the leadership abilities, skills and experience of their members, which could be useful in a future career in the British Army, or skills and training that can be utilised in a civilian career.[6] While in the UOTC, Officer Cadets will undertake the Reserve Officer Training Modules (Alpha & Bravo).[7]

UOTC Members are part of the Army Reserve[8] and are attested and paid when on duty, but are classed as Group B (Non Deployable). Officer cadets (OF-D) have no obligation to pursue a further career in the armed forces when they leave university and can resign from the UOTC at any time. UOTCs are led by officers and non-commissioned officers from the Regular Army and Army Reserve.[9]

Each UOTC unit is effectively an independent regiment (since 2011, four UOTCs are in joint units, Leeds UOTC and Sheffield UOTC form the Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment, and Liverpool UOTC and Manchester and Salford UOTC form the North West Officer Training Regiment) with its own cap badge and other insignia, its own stable belt and its own customs and traditions.[7]

UOTCs also organise non-military outdoor pursuits such as hill walking and mountaineering as well as fielding teams in other sports which compete against each other, there is also opportunity for Officer cadets to represent the army in sports.[10]

  1. ^ "University Officer Training Corps - British Army Website". Army.mod.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  2. ^ "No. 59415". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 2010. p. 8520.
  3. ^ "No. 59826". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 June 2011. p. 11723.
  4. ^ "No. 59898". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 September 2011. p. 16986.
  5. ^ BFBS Forces News (15 April 2014). Uni Officer Cadets In First-Time Field Exercisec 14.04.14. Retrieved 10 October 2024 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "UNIVERSITY OFFICER TRAINING CORPS". British Army Website.
  7. ^ a b "University Officer Training Corps |". Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ^ "University of London Officers' Training Corps | The British Army".
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Officer Cadet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Turner, Camilla; Rowan, Claudia (4 February 2020). "Military personnel at freshers' fair could hurt people's mental health, warns Cambridge student union". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.