ADF support an educated choice

Class action: SCdt Sam Wythes-Willis enjoys the benefits of the Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme.

By SCdt Elisabeth McLeod

TWO years after the launch of the Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme (OTRS), the program has become the ideal avenue of entry for officer candidates studying subjects not on offer through ADFA.

SCdt Sam Wythes-Willis enlisted into the scheme in November 2004 and is currently studying an honours degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Sydney.

“I decided to apply for the scheme, as it offered the flexibility of part-time military training, while studying the subjects which interest me at a university of my choice,” he says.

OTRS is aimed at civilians already studying a full-time degree at a recognised Australian tertiary institution, whose subjects are not offered for study through ADFA. Successful candidates are sponsored to complete their studies and, while studying, undertake the Part Time General Service Officer First Appointment Course (GSO FAC) through a University Regiment. Upon completion of their degree, they transfer into II Class at RMC-D, where they complete the final 12 months of the full-time GSO FAC before graduating as lieutenants.

As part of the requirements of the scheme, SCdt Wythes-Willis undertakes part-time officer training at the Sydney University Regiment and will transfer to RMC-D in January next year, after submitting his thesis.

He admits that occasionally there are times when his civilian studies and military commitments conflict – “especially around exam time and when assignments are due” – but says “it’s a matter of being organised and planning ahead, which is definitely where Army training has paid off.”

SCdt Katie Chapman was one of the first two candidates to enlist in the scheme while studying for her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney and is now in the final phase of her training at RMC-D. Although she found the transition to full-time Army life difficult at first, she has no regrets and is looking forward to graduating as a lieutenant in December this year.

“The reserve training more than adequately prepared me for RMC,” she says. “Throughout my time at university, the scheme allowed me to purchase texts and materials I would not have otherwise been able to afford. I also developed my physical fitness through the use of Army facilities, and the medical and dental support ensured I received treatment that I would not have had without the scheme.”

In general, applicants for OTRS undergraduate sponsorship must have completed and passed at least one semester of their full-time academic study prior to applying for the scheme.

Specific conditions of service have been developed to cater for participants in the program, which includes a regular wage, and medical and dental cover while they are studying. The scheme also pays tertiary institution fees and the members’ HECS debt upon successful completion of their degree.

For more information visit www.defencejobs.gov.au.