Trainee sailors excited about refurb at RNAS Yeovilton

YOUNG trainee sailors at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton are excited about their refurbished accommodation at the base near Ilchester.

The present cohort of trainees consists of 40 Air Engineering Technicians who are in the second phase of an intensive course lasting over one year from basic training at HMS Raleigh to completion at RNAS Yeovilton.

Their new accommodation has all the comforts of a home from home, with four men-mess decks and specially designed communal areas.

Petty Officer Glenn Curryer, one of the instructors at the Engineering Training School, works closely with the trainees to ensure they are looked after.

RNAS Yeovilton has spent up to six hundred thousand pounds refurbishing the block,'' said PO Gurryer.

'Previous to the refurbishment the roof was leaking and the building was in a poor state of repair. Now the accommodation is somewhere the trainees can feel comfortable and live alongside their colleagues. It can be quite an awe inspiring experience when you’re new at such a big Air Station.''

Lieutenant Commander Kirsty Flegg RN, Deputy Logistics Commander who was responsible for expenditure, added: “We have invested £600K into this upgrade and these multiple occupancy bed spaces have been upgraded to ensure that the young sailors of today are able to learn the skills needed on board ship. The discipline of looking after oneself and others ensures that the ethos, traditions, culture and discipline of the Navy are maintained.”

The Engineering Training School at RNAS Yeovilton has seen a considerable increase in trainees to the Air Station over the past year indicating a proactive level of recruitment, training and retention emphasis in the Fleet Air Arm.  

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