Exercise Boss Lift highlights benefits of employing reservists

In the jungles of Malaysia, 19 Australian senior executives from private and public organisations will receive a taste of life in the Army Reserve during Exercise Boss Lift 2019.

Exercise Boss Lift is a Department of Defence program designed to show employers the training, skills and experience that the Australian Defence Force Reserve service provides.

Employers will witness their employees and other Australian Army Reserve soldiers conduct infantry minor tactics such as patrolling, ambushes and section attacks.

Employers will eat ration packs, learn basic fieldcraft and have an opportunity to conduct live firing using Army weapons under the safety and supervision of the deployed officers and soldiers.

Participants of Exercise Boss Lift will be flown to Malaysia in a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C17 from RAAF Base Amberley, to visit their Reserve employees in Rifle Company Butterworth at the Malaysian Army Combat Training Centre (PULADA).

119 Australian Army Reserve members are in Malaysia for three months of intensive training to develop foundation war fighting skills in a regional environment and conduct international engagement activities with regional partners in Southeast Asia.

Acting Head Reserve and Youth Division, Brigadier Duncan Hayward, said the program would give employers and potential future employers an understanding of the skills their army reservist workers would not normally be able to display in their civilian roles.

“Exercise Boss Lift gives employers an opportunity to see how Reservists’ training builds confidence and cultivates problem-solving skills, leadership ability and other attributes highly valuable in the workplace,” Brigadier Hayward said.

For more information on the benefits available to employers of Defence Reservists, visit www.defencereservessupport.gov.au or call 1800 803 485.