UDSS members Martin Travers and Darren Robinson have delivered a highly successful 2-week leadership and development programme for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Attended by 27 military warrant officers, 2 Police officers and an officer from Guyana’s prison service, the course aimed to empower students to support senior military and security sector leaders more effectively. The packed programme prioritised the command, leadership and management skills required by senior warrant officers and was extremely well received attendees commenting that "I would recommend this course to others I will give it 5 stars" and "Great course the DS deliver on a 5 out of 5 well done"
It covered a range of modules including leadership theory, decision making, goal setting, giving direction, planning exercises, practical command tasks, communications and presentation skills, mental resilience, risk management, prioritisation and personal development. Study and learning in soldiers’ career management (including interviews, report writing and a mock promotion board) and sessions on unit health, welfare, security, discipline, logistics, equipment care and training focussed students on the key relationship between senior Warrant Officers and their Commanding Officers, and their complimentary roles in increasing operational efficiency in military units.
The course was delivered through central lectures, syndicate discussions and exercises, student back-briefs and plenty of home work. “Fireside chats” with Guyana’s National Security Advisor and serving GDF Commanding Officers and Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) and visiting lecturers from GDF officers gave the students the regional and national bigger picture and reinforced the importance of their role. An Industry visit to Exxon Mobil’s Headquarters and Georgetown Shore Base, exposed the opportunities and threats presented by Guyana’s transformative oil and gas programme, and their potential impact on GDF. Student’s formal presentations were witnessed by the UK Deputy High Commissioner and a range of senior GDF leaders.
This was the firsts of a range of courses being delivered for the GDF by UDSS. UDSS' Head of Strategic and Professional Military Education, Rear Admiral John Kingwell, said "the breadth of our membership enables UDSS to combine excellent instructors with the right skills and expertise to design and deliver programmes that meet our clients' specific needs. This is the start of a strong partnership in which UDSS will support a wide range of the GDF education."
UDSS is able to support education from the junior to strategic level across the broad defence and security sectors and is also currently delivering a multi-agency through career development programme for the Cayman Islands. To discuss how UDSS might support you, or for further details, contact John Kingwell on
john.kingwell
@universal-defence.com .
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