A YOUNG man from Okehampton is preparing for life as a soldier as he enlists into the Army, while also qualifying for a £1,000 Golden Hello as he begins his new career as a chef with the Royal Logistics Corps Julian Swann, 20, was enlisted into the Army at the Armed Forces Careers Office in Exeter on Monday and was presented with his Golden Hello certificate by Major Arthur Norman-Walker, who heads up Army recruiting in the area. The ?Golden Hello? scheme has been designed to encourage those with suitable qualifications obtained from school, college or university to consider a career in the Army. Julian will begin his phase 1 training later this month, at the Army Training Regiment in Pirbright, Surrey. Here, he will learn basic soldiering skills, including map reading, fieldcraft and weapon handling, while also testing his mental and physical agility, learning to work and communicate effectively in a team. Phase 1 training is steady and progressive, with a good mix of sports and adventure training within the programme. By the end of the training, being a soldier will be second nature to Julian, after which he will start phase 2 training at St Omer Barracks in Aldershot where he will learn to become an Army chef. As a chef, Julian will be involved in meat preparation, field cooking, bulk cookery, health and hygiene, nutrition, safety at work, security, and fire prevention and fighting. He will also be responsible for the preparation and production of hospital diets, the control of departments, shifts or individual kitchens, daily ordering and custody of foodstuffs, menu planning, costing and ration accounting. Staff Sgt Walton, Army recruiter at the Exeter office, is confident Julian will rise to every challenge: ?Julian is exactly the type of high calibre applicant the Army is looking to recruit, at soldier and officer level which is why he qualifies for his Golden Hello. ?We?re delighted that he has decided to pursue a career in the Army and have every confidence that he will be a great asset to his unit.? Qualified people are in great demand to fill certain jobs in the Army. To help address this, the Army also offers Education Grants to students studying A-level science, maths, languages and certain other vocational courses. They are available to qualifying students who will ultimately get a job with the Army. Young people wanting more information on the range of 140 jobs the modern British Army has to offer can visit the Exeter Army Careers Office (Telephone 01392 271 1533) or log on to http://www.armyjobs.co.uk">www.armyjobs.co.uk
