Horizon Training - The Defence College of Communications and Information Systems

Horizon Training are proud to have been selected as the marketing partner for the Number 22 (Training) Group of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Our mission – "to partner the RAF in support of security co-operation, wider British interests and wider markets initiatives" – encompasses elements of the three main defence technical colleges: the Defence College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (DCEME), the Defence College of Communications and Information Systems (DCCIS) and the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE).

DCCIS headquarters

DCCIS is the centre of excellence for training the UK Armed Forces' communicators. It combines the individual service requirements with the central MoD desire to develop more coherent, efficient and cost-effective training of communications and information systems across the whole of the defence network.

Land, sea and air battlespace training

The college consists of a headquarters, based at Blandford Camp in Dorset, which directs and co-ordinates the training for the land, sea and air elements of the battlespace environment.

Within the headquarters is a joint-training development team, which plans future, specialist and individual CIS training for both current and future needs. This modern, effective, generic and service-specific CIS training, which is recognised both nationally and internationally, is then delivered by individual DCCIS schools.

The Royal School of Signals

The Royal School of Signals, the army's centre for communications and information systems training for officers and soldiers, delivers some 600 courses of 130 different types each year to around 7,000 military and civilian students. The courses cover CIS technical, engineering and management disciplines, and career training (from basic technician instruction to a Master's degree in CIS management).

Training to introduce non-military personnel (such as engineers, designers and project managers) from industry and defence-related companies to the MoD provides them with a better understanding of the way the military system is organised, how it works, its procedures and its military vocabulary. It creates a better understanding of the manner, scale and intensity in which equipment is deployed in operations.

The school has modern, world-class training facilities, particularly for cable and fibre optics, with computer laboratories, simulators and mobile radio, trunk and satellite systems. Additionally, it has a technical library and both electronic and technical workshops.

Joint battlespace training

The philosophy of joint training in the battlespace environment extends to the understanding that defence contractors provide valuable assistance to the front line by their involvement in the delivery of CIS services and the delivery of key logistical support. It therefore makes sense to provide opportunities for contractors to train alongside their military counterparts; an aspect facilitated by Horizon Training's portal for civilians, subject to security status, to access a world-class training system.

Number 1 Radio School (No 1 RS)

No 1 RS provides information and communication technology training courses for the RAF, specifically Trade Group 4 (TG4). It provides phase 2 training Basic Training (BT1) for operators and maintainers, and assimilation training for serving personnel moving into TG4; it will soon offer basic training courses for TG4 technicians and information managers.

Engineering management foundation degree

The school delivers (in partnership with Lincoln University), a foundation degree to prospective engineering officers in engineering management; it also provides pre-employment training in airfield radar and navigation systems, air defence systems and secure equipment.

Degree-level radar module

With Wolverhampton University, No 1 RS provides a degree-level radar module that supports a foundation degree in engineering with the School of Engineering and the Built Environment (SEBE)

The school has both CISCO and Microsoft® academy status and delivers a number of courses from each of the academies within existing training packages.

Aerial Erector School

The Aerial Erector School, at RAF Digby, is part of the Communications Electronics Basic Training Squadron (CEBTS) at No1 RS and responsible for conducting basic and further training courses for TG4 RAF aerial erectors. It provides specialised training courses in climbing aptitude, scaffolding, and climbing and working-at-height to meet the requirements of defence estate's Safety Rules and Procedures 07 (SRP07).

The school is also one of the few specialist-training providers to offer an in-depth course in advanced fibre optics for both single and multi-mode fibre systems. In addition to military personnel, the school can train civilians from a wide variety of commercial companies, many of which require their job applicants to be graduates of the school.