LOGISTIC SPECIALIST (SUPPLY)

The Job

Your role as a Logistic Specialist (Supply) is to provide the essential provisioning, receipt, storage, maintenance and subsequent issue of all the items required to support the Army in both peacetime and on operations. The list is vast, with close to a million items, from simple nuts and bolts to sophisticated weapon spares and ammunition. Logistic Specialists (Supply) are experts in storage and operate all over the battlefield in Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) to support their fighting colleagues.

The Right Job For Me?

To be an effective Logistic Specialist (Supply) you need to be both organised and practical. You must be able to perform accurate clerical work, as well as have the potential to drive a wide range of vehicles, including high-tech forklift trucks. It is essential to be able to work both on your own, as well as in a team in possibly arduous conditions and climates to get vital supplies to where they are needed when they are needed.

What Skills Will I Learn?

Driving licences are gained as you progress through your career, allowing you to drive everything from a forklift to an LGV.Learning to receive, store, maintain and then supply all material required by the Army to meet its commitments in both peacetime and on the battlefield.Becoming an expert in storage techniques for combat supplies, including weapons and ammunition, whether in a warehouse environment or in a tactical situation on operations.Learning to use the Transferable Stores Container (TSC), mounted onto LGVs, to operate from anywhere on the battlefield supplying the Combat Arms.Learn to use computer databases to anticipate demand patterns from base to battlefield all over the world using computer models.

What Training Will I Do?

Initial trainingEvery RLC soldier is first and foremost a fighting soldier. Your military career will start at ATR (Army Training Regiment) Pirbright, Surrey. During your 14-week basic training course you will learn military skills such as foot drill, how to handle and fire a weapon, how to live and work in the open and how to tackle an assault course, as well as developing your stamina and fitness. You will be stretched further than you thought possible and toughen up both physically and mentally. Having successfully mastered these basic military skills, you will take your place in the Passing Out parade in front of an invited audience of parents, relatives and friends. After completing your basic military training you will attend a one-week induction course at the Royal Logistic Corps Depot at the Princess Royal Barracks near Camberley, Surrey. Here you will learn something about your Corps and its history.Further trainingYour specialist trade training takes place at the Trade Wing of the Defence Logistic and Supply School in Surrey. The course is five weeks long and covers a range of subjects designed to give you a grounding in logistic support to the Combat Arms. After finishing this course, you move onto LGV training at the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield, East Yorkshire, after which you are qualified to drive LGVs (Category C). You may then be required to undergo extra training to expand your logistic skills, which could take the form of:Ammunition supply trainingAt the Army School of Ammunition, Kineton, Warwickshire.Material handling equipment Enabling you to operate and drive a wide range of forklift trucks and container handlers, be they depot-based or for use on operations.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

During your first years as a Logistic Specialist (Supply) you can build on the NVQ Level 2 in Distribution and Warehousing Operations that you will have begun during the Class 3 course. Further civilian qualifications up to degree level are achievable.

Future Prospects

Promotion for Logistic Specialists (Supply) is excellent and is determined by merit, recommendation and selection by a formal promotion board. This provides opportunities for advancement at a good rate to Warrant Officer. If you think you have the physical skills, you can volunteer to train and serve with the Commando Logistic Regiment and RLC parachute units. On leaving the service, there are opportunities for civilian employment in computer-related or material control management areas. There are also opportunities in the logistics industry, where your experience will suit you to a wide variety of jobs. All of your knowledge, as well as your leadership skills and experience, are recognised and valued in the civilian world.