Legendary former SAS soldier Andy McNab made a special visit to the Military Preparation College in St Leonards.
McNab was speaking at the college based at the TA Centre in Cinque Ports Way as he helped launch MPCT’s new Literacy Mission to learners from both the Hastings and Eastbourne colleges.
The new initiative has been designed to actively engage MPCT students with reading, writing and public speaking, through a series of creative literacy challenges and termly competitions.
It aims to inject a fresh dimension of fun competition and rewards into the College’s unique programme, which fuses physical training, functional skills and personal development.
Lisa Gill, skills manager at MPCT said: “Reading for enjoyment lays the foundations for a brighter future for all our learners – whether that’s in the Armed Forces or another career. So it’s tremendously inspiring for our young people to hear a role model like Andy McNab saying how the literacy skills he learnt in the Army changed his life.”
Mr McNab, who served in the famous Bravo Two Zero mission behind enemy lines during the Gulf War, said: “I’ve long been impressed with the work of College and the way it helps young people who have perhaps struggled with traditional education routes. I could never have achieved what I have without the literacy skills I learnt in the Army. Reading helped me learn new things and enabled me to do the things I wanted to do in life. MPCT’s new Literacy Mission is a fantastic initiative designed to bring the joys and benefits of reading to life for all their learners.”
Literacy rates amongst England’s teenagers are poor compared with many other leading nations. A report last year by the OECD found that England’s 16-24 year olds rank 22nd out of 24 countries in terms of literacy skills.
Founded in 1999, the Military Preparation College helps 16 to 19-year-olds develop their physical fitness, functional skills and self-confidence. The college now has 15 branches across the UK and was rated Outstanding in every area by Ofsted in August