Veterans put forward Army cadet apprentice school proposal

The Army Cadet Apprentice School System report focuses on developing an alternative high school method in Western Australia but would be applicable to all states, according to the Royal Australian Engineers Association of Western Australia treasurer, retired ADF engineer and report author Peter Billington*.

The proposal includes an upgraded existing or purpose-built high school facility which incorporates normal academic environment, Australian Army Cadet training and apprenticeship education focusing on the building trades, agricultural, mining and resources, on a total live-in basis.

The facility would aim to educate students aged 15 to 18 years with an emphasis on Army cadet style dress, discipline, and technical or trade-oriented subjects.

“My colleagues and I have predominately come through that industry, trades and affiliated rolls here in WA. Our experiences and knowledge are the cornerstone to the contents and reason for this paper,” he said.

“This is a proposition based around an alternative high school method that incorporates life, living, learning, trade and working roll teaching, security and belonging. That we embrace and develop the idea of a high school system that is foremost based on military type rules, principals, discipline, dedication, personal pride, and belonging.

“Trade training subjects and aspects would be far more intensive than that of TAFE, because the pupil and facilities are at hand all day, every day.”

The report speculates that existing TAFE requirements of apprentices attending two weeks training per term each year for three years and lack of study locations for building trades currently available are insufficient.

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“We are proposing that such a school could be run under the banner of the Australian Army Cadet Brigade and for the point of discussion this proposed college/school system could be called, Army Cadet Apprentice School,” Billington said.

“The objective being to establish a base from which to grow young people, tradespeople, engineers, professionals across the spectrum, all with a great attitude and sound work ethic and always with the understanding of belonging to this place from where they started.

“We believe there is a huge hole that could be overcome by the creation of such a designated school, and within that military style school, a means of assisting to help address some of the perennial problems.”

There is an increasing demand for defence-focused building trade apprentices for Australian Defence industries and the Northern Australian Development Program, according to Billington.

The potential benefits of the proposal could reportedly include greater social inclusion for the nation’s young people, greater enrolments for trades, retention of those enrolled in trades, and a larger available talent pool for defence construction projects.

“The ADF too is not immune to a lack of general public interest, especially by many of the young, in making a career in service to Australia,” he said.

“The military experience all students will gain through their years at an Army cadet apprentice school will hopefully be just as profound as that of their trade training. Encouragement of interest in the ADF as another possible career avenue will be greatly enhanced.

“Dual training in an academic/trade and a soldiering/discipline sense would hopefully engender in students a feeling of wanting to continue to belong and therefore should garner retainment and continuity of service as a result.”

Billington outlines that the Army Apprentices School previously ran from 1948 to 1995, producing highly trained soldier tradesmen who served Australia well both in their service years and their following civilian life jobs.

“None of the Army, Navy or Airforce Apprentices Schools were broken. They were all just part of a long period of ill-conceived economic rationalisation by all sides of parliament,” he said.

“They were all highly successful over many decades, producing excellent well trained trades people and service personnel. Graduates from the AAS were the backbone of the Royal Australian Engineers and the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers corps.

“There was no better way to impart knowledge, skill and discipline and focus on the task at hand, than going through the AAS system.”

The British Military already maintains a similar model with its Army Foundation College located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The minimum entry age to the college is 15 years, 7 months.

“The re-establishment of the AAS (in Western Australia) or something akin to it, such as this proposed ACAS military style high school system covering school years 10, 11 and 12 can only be a positive move to help society be more disciplined and committed,” Billington said.

“This proposal is supported by and presented on behalf of many Western Australian ex-service persons, many of whom came through the Army Apprentices School system during the 1950s to the 1990s, and the Royal Australian Engineers Association of WA.”

*Mr Billington, is an ex-Royal Australian Engineer sapper who completed nine years of service, including one year in Borneo and Vietnam. He attended Army Apprentices School at age 15 in Balcombe, Victoria.