In This Edition...2 Flagship Deal with Estonia

3 At Home on the Range

4 Spotlight on VT vehicle support

5 Spotlight on VT Airside

6 Spotlight on VT Emergency Services

7 Making a Mark at Wallops Island

8 Night to Remember

9 Forest Moor Opening

10 VT in Greece

11 New Education Role

12 Charity Focus

It’s one of the principles of

business that those who stand still

go backwards. At VT, we continually

look to the future while never

taking our eyes off the present.

We are now in a period that will shape the business for many years to come. Bids for major programmes; discussions on the future shape of the defence sector and the pursuit of our Group strategy make these exciting times, none more so than when success comes our way. The announcement that our Ascent joint venture with Lockheed Martin has been named preferred bidder for the

Military Flying Training System (MFTS) was tremendous news and will provide valuable long-term visibility for part of our UK defence support business.

Elsewhere, a decision is due shortly on the Defence Training Rationalisation (DTR) programme, while we are hopefully in the fi nal stages of reaching contract closure on the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA).

To win all three programmes would be a magnifi cent result. Winning two out of the three would provide the catalyst for further long-term advances in our defence support activities and be a further major boost to this part of our business.

Encouraged by the Ministry of Defence, we have been involved in talks with other key players to consolidate the UK naval shipbuilding industry. There remain many forms that this could take but one of the most important factors in our discussions has been that VT has a strong, robust shipbuilding business with good long-term prospects.

Our shipbuilding employees can be confi dent in the knowledge that they have a bright future. VT’s aim is to continue to play a major role in the sector for the foreseeable future and our recent discussions

have been with this aim in mind.The focus is also on moving into the

future in other parts of our business. Education and Skills is set to grow on the back of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme; VT Communications is strengthening its offering in digital technology and our US business has an unprecedented level of bid activity.

There is never a moment when VT stands still. It’s what I believe makes working for the Group such an exciting challenge.

Paul Lester

Chief Executive

One of the biggest

defence support services

programmes allocated

in recent years has seen VT

Group Joint Venture Ascent

named as preferred bidder

for the UK Military Flying

Training System (UKMFTS).

Ascent, a 50-50 JV between VT and Lockheed Martin UK, will partner with the Ministry of Defence to provide comprehensive training to all UK military air crew for the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps over the next 25 years. The cost of the programme is estimated at some £6 billion.

Chief Executive Paul Lester commented: “This is a major boost to our military support activities and establishes VT as the UK’s leading training provider in military aerospace.

“Through Ascent, we will develop this into a long-term partnering arrangement with the MoD that will provide improved capability for the Armed Forces.

“We have also signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to offer the same Training Systems model to a number of other Governments around the world, which could generate substantial revenues in the future.”

MFTS will be let under a series of PFI contracts that will streamline the military training system and will span from

fast jet, helicopter and multi-engine transport pilots to rear crew members such as observers and weapon system operators. It is anticipated that contract close will be during 2007.

Initially, Ascent will carry out various activities in support of advanced fast jet training at RAF Valley following contract close. This will include supporting

the ground based training environment; providing and maintaining the infrastructure to support advanced jet training and providing the Training Management Information System.

Thereafter, other training capabilities will be subsumed incrementally until full service provision is achieved.

MFTS SUCCESS IS MULTI-BILLION BOOST

What a Night! Full Story on HMS Clyde Naming Inside

Group www.vtplc.com

Newspaper of the VT Group

Winter 2006/7

Our Values – People, Performance and Partnering

Interim Profi ts Show Over 20 per cent IncreaseVT reported a profi ts increase

of over 20 per cent at its interim

fi nancial results with underlying

profi t before taxation climbing to

£32.7 million for the six months to

the end of September, compared

to the same period a year before.

Group revenue, including share of joint ventures, rose by just over 15 per cent to more than £466 million, bringing shareholders a dividend of 3.25p, which is an increase of over eight per cent on the corresponding period in 2005.

Star performer was VT Communications, which achieved strong revenue and profi t growth. With the acquisiton of the former Lex vehicle support businesses, the newly-named VT Support Services also did well with a solid rise in underlying operating profi t.

VT Services in the US reported a

slight increase in operating profi t and it was the same story at VT Shipbuilding. VT Education and Skills was the only division to suffer a drop in profi ts, due to higher than expected integration costs relating to recent acquisitions, high Building Schools for the Future bid costs and changes to Learning and Skills Council funding.

With progress on three major military PFI support programmes (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, Military Flying Training System and Defence Training Rationalisation) due over the next few months, Chief Executive Paul Lester said it was an exciting time that would help to determine the Group’s future.

Chairman Mike Jeffries concluded: “The Group is in sound fi nancial condition with a growing order book, high visibility of earnings and some exciting prospects ahead.”

Looking to the Future Means We Won’t Stand Still

VTi Newspaper of the VT Group | Winter 2006/7 | Issue 72

Navy, will deliver duty watch training and ship familiarisation, both alongside at Rosyth, Scotland and at sea.

David Ruff, Flagship’s Business Development Director, said: “The Estonian Navy plays a key role in mine

clearance operations in the Baltic Sea, disposing of World War 1 and 2 ordnance. This new class of ships, and accompanying training programme, will help them make an even greater contribution to safe sea going.”

ICT Endorsement Set to Provide Boost for VT Four S

VT Four S has positioned

itself to become a leading

supplier of Information

Communications Technology

(ICT) services to schools

and colleges after being

selected to join a national

quality assured framework

by Becta, the Government

agency for ICT in education.

Educational institutions and their agents such as local authorities will use the group of 16 approved suppliers to select the contractor who will support them with their ICT development, procurement and implementation.

VT Four S went through a rigorous evaluation covering capability, experience, quality and value for money before being approved to join the framework.

Becta’s aim is to raise standards in ICT provision and reduce the risk and burden on schools and colleges, leaving them with more time and money to focus on the education needs of pupils.

The greatest benefi t will be achieved through aggregated purchases where schools join together and utilise their combined buying power to improve value for money and reduce administration costs.

A place within the framework will have particular benefi t in ICT provision linked to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme where VT Education and Skills is already heavily involved.

Pilot Boats Keep Halmatic Rolling

Pilot boats have been keeping life

interesting in the commercial boat

area of VT Halmatic with vessels built

for the UK and Spanish markets.

First of a new 16 metre Camarc designed vessel has been delivered to Teesport operator PD Ports and the second followed shortly afterwards for Falmouth Harbour Commissioners.

Having operated similar pilot boats for the last six years, PD Ports was able to put extensive input into improvements and enhancements to the original design.

Tenerife port pilots have taken delivery of a new fi rst-of-class Nelson 42 pilot boat built by VT Halmatic. The new design offers improved handling, plus more spacious wheelhouse and machinery spaces. The Spanish port of Algeciras has also taken delivery of a VT Halmatic 40 pilot boat.

Flagship Training is to

design and deliver

a bespoke training

programme for the Estonian

Navy following the sale of three

former Royal Navy minehunters.

The three Sandown Class ships – HMS Sandown, HMS Inverness and HMS Bridport – were all built by VT and will be refi tted by VT joint venture Fleet Support Limited (FSL) in Portsmouth and Babcock Engineering in Rosyth.

Flagship will project manage the training programme for the Estonian Navy, integrating both Royal Navy and Flagship delivered training.

Each crew will take circa nine months to train, with the fi rst ship expected to be handed over to the Estonian Navy in April 2007.

Working closely with the Royal Navy’s Training Command, Flagship has devised a programme to train the

crews of two ships - currently being regenerated as operational mine hunters – plus key personnel from the third ship (HMS Bridport) , which is set to become a seagoing training vessel.

The 22 month programme, expected to fi nish in May 2008, includes both shore-based equipment and role specifi c training, followed by practical on-board sea training.

Crews will benefi t from the Royal Navy’s pre-joining training, which will take place in the Portsmouth area, enabling the crew to train alongside RN personnel on the Navy’s standard courses.

A team of Flagship instructors will then deliver a practical harbour and sea training programme designed to prepare the crew for the Royal Navy’s Flag Offi cer Sea Training programme.

Flagship’s instructors, working to the exacting standards of the Royal

She sits in Govan structurally

complete with the VT bow now

joined to the rest of the ship

– HMS Dauntless (right), the

second of the Royal Navy’s

new Type 45 destroyers,

is taking shape ready for

launch early next year.

The 1,000 tons steel bow sectionwas delivered from Portsmouth to BAE Systems Naval Ships on a four-day voyage via the English Channel and Irish Sea to Clydeside.

In a similar operation to the fi rst-of-class HMS Daring, the bow was carefully wheeled out on powerful tractor conveyor units and transported some 100 yards to the barge “VT Woolston” in a three-hour operation.

The section of the second ship was pre-outfi tted with cabins and other operational compartments to a much greater level of completion than the bow unit for HMS Daring.

VT Type 45 Project Director John Richardson explained:

“The lessons learned on ship 01 mean that we signifi cantly reduced the number of man hours required to build the section for ship 02.”

Production continues apace at Portsmouth with ships three, four and fi ve at varying stages and ship 06, HMS Duncan due to start early in the New Year.

Flagship Secures Minehunter Training Deal for Estonia

Dauntless Takes Shape as VT

Delivers Second Bow Section

VT Communications has

scored a prestigious fi rst

after securing the contract to

broadcast analogue and digital

radio programmes for the German

public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

It is believed to be one of the fi rst examples of a European state broadcaster entrusting its international programme output to an overseas contractor, VTC having won the contract from a subsidiary of Deutsche Telecom, which previously broadcast from within Germany.

Programmes will be transmitted from VTC’s sites at Woofferton in Shropshire, Rampisham in Dorset and Skelton in Cumbria, plus a further site in Austria. A multi-million pound investment has been made to install four new analogue/digital transmitters at Woofferton.

The fi ve-year contract will include an initial 90 hours per day of Deutsche

Welle programming in 14 languages, with a signifi cant potential increase in programme hours from May 2007.

Programming will be targeted at over 100 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

Bryan Coombes, VTC Director, Broadcast, explained: “We believe that this is the fi rst time a European state broadcaster has outsourced the majority of its programme transmissions to an overseas contractor. VTC already has a leading reputation in the industry through its work for the BBC World Service and this latest success underlines the high standing that VTC has in terms of technical capability and reliability.”

VTC Managing Director Doug Umbers added: “We are proud to be associated with such an internationally respected broadcaster and look forward to developing the partnership over the coming years.”

International First as VTC Secures Deutsche Welle

VTi | NEWS

Estonian offi cers undergoing training on the HMS Collingwood minehunter simulator■

Issue 7 | Winter 2006/7 | VTi Newspaper of the VT Group 3

VTi | NEWS

shells is enough to cause signifi cant damage to the targets. Up at Cape Wraith, which is also supported by VT, it’s a different story with fully charged bombs up to 1,000 kilograms used on the outcrop that forms the target.

The range is also used by USAF F-15s and when the aircraft have fi nished fi ve long weekdays and nights at RAF Tain, the VT team move into action with a weekend rota to repair the targets ready for the next wave of attack runs.

Squadron Leader John McKeown, who is the Commanding Offi cer at RAF Tain, explains: “The range plays

an important role in the pilots’ training regime. The RAF and VT teams work closely together to provide the pilots with a realistic scenario and training environment. We are the only UK AWR that provides regular close air support training for aircrew and forward air controllers alike.”

Besides servicing the range, VT is responsible for maintaining the communications equipment, providing and maintaining a fl eet of vehicles that include 4x4s, a JCB and a soft terrain vehicle, general transport duties, security and admin.

An RAF Jaguar fi ghter

swoops out of the sunlit

skies above the Scottish

Highlands and dives low over

the Dornoch Firth before

dropping its bombload on a

Chieftan tank 300 feet below.

RAF Tain is an air weapons range that plays a key part in honing the precision bombing skills of the UK’s top guns who pilot aircraft such as the Jaguar and Tornado.

Along with Cape Wraith some 100 miles further north west, RAF Tain is one of only two weapons ranges in Scotland, both operated by VT Aerospace. Working closely alongside RAF personnel, the VT team of around 20 carry out a myriad of tasks to keep the ranges operational.

RAF Tain, less than 100 miles south of John O’Groats, is a site of special scientifi c interest with rare fauna and birds adding to its picturesque location on the southern banks of the Dornock Firth. This stretch of salt marsh covers some 2,400 acres and fronts a wide coastal strip that provides budding RAF front-line

pilots with a valuable practice area.The former wartime airfi eld, its

runways dug up long ago, now houses a small station centred around a control tower manned by the RAF and VT. From here and an outstation on the range, VT staff will help the controllers measure and monitor the accuracy of the RAF pilots as they practice bombing runs and strafi ng.

At peak times there’s an aircraft zooming in every 30 seconds. But, through the control tower team’s rapid monitoring and computing of the information, the pilot will know by the time he returns to base – even if it’s just four minutes away at Lossiemouth – exactly how he has performed.

Out in the marshlands, the targets include old tanks, containers, a bridge and even a replica railway station constructed and all maintained by the VT team, often a challenge when the targets have been hit as many times as these have.

VT Site Manager Doc Holliday explains that the 3kg and 14 kg ammunition used in these runs is not primed with full explosive but the impact of the

Flying the Flag in the Scottish Highlands

Range that Keeps RAF Top Guns on Target

Glass Sellers Pay Tribute to Mirabella Achievement

Owner Joe Vittoria, designer

Ron Holland and VT Group

have been recognised by

The Worshipful Company

of Glass Sellers of London

for their role in building

Mirabella V, the world’s

biggest single masted yacht.

All three were presented with the Award for Technical Innovation and Experience in a prestigious event hosted by the Company, which received its Charter in 1664.

a mobile telephone exchange that can accommodate some 40 lines.

“The requirement is for a high quality fi nish and this work has helped us to build a relationship with the UN. We hope that it might lead to further work in the future,” explained Project Manager Andrew Mason.

VT Communications is close to

completing a year-long project

that will provide the United

Nations with a valuable link in

the world’s disaster areas.

The programme on specially-adapted Mercedes Sprinter vans has seen VT Comms personnel at Ashchurch install

UN Vans Provide Vital Communications Linksequipment that helps to transform the vehicles into a mobile communications hub.

When the vehicles arrive at Ashchurch after manufacture in Germany they are base left-hand drive Sprinter vans. When they leave the VT Comms site they are fi tted with equipment including a studio facility, 42 ft mast, jacking system, satellite

communications technology and self-contained power, light and cooling facilities.

Ten of the vehicles have been completed and despatched to the UN base in Brindisi, Italy, where further specialist radio equipment is fi tted before they are deployed to theatre. Often, the vans will provide the only links with the outside world, becoming

A Jaguar sweeps low over the RAF Tain range (top). VT and RAF personnel man the control tower (far left and bottom) and VT operator Michael Tierney (left) measures the accuracy of a bomb run.

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VTi Newspaper of the VT Group | Winter 2006/7 | Issue 74

the Capability Service Centre, is within the huge Defence Storage and Distribution Centre facility at Bicester, near Oxford, where ALC staff manage the fl eet, hold some £10 million worth of spares ready for distribution and operate a Help Desk dealing with enquiries from round the world.

Working closely with Army Headquarters Land Command and the Defence Logistics Organisation, ALC is committed

to giving the Army a modern, effi cient construction fl eet. Indeed, a recent £12 million order will provide the Army with the latest rough terrain forklifts – it’s also big enough to keep a single JCB factory busy for the whole of 2007.

“ALC’s performance is measured by key performance indicators and we’re already exceeding those measures,” adds Nigel.

Keeping tabs on some

15,000 Ministry of

Defence vehicles is

a fl eet management

challenge that demands

maximum attention to detail.

One of the contracts secured by VT as part of its acquisition of the former Lex vehicle support businesses was the responsibility for the MoD’s White Fleet – a versatile mix of administrative support vehicles which includes, cars, coaches and several other types of wheeled vehicle that are essential to the daily operation of the Armed Services and related organisations within the UK.

At Army camps, RAF bases and Royal Naval facilities throughout the country, fl eets of transport are used to move personnel and perform a plethora of other tasks. Then, there are VIP vehicles for the Senior offi cers in the Ministry of Defence. In every case, reliability is the key to performance and the buck stops with this business unit of VT Land.

The responsibility for maintenance, repairs and securing replacement or

Fleet Management Experts Keep

MoD White Fleet Under Controlhire vehicles lies in 11 regional offi ces each staffed by a response team who interact with service personnel via a rapid reaction Vehicle Management Control System. Since Lex took over the fl eet management in 2001, approximately 13000 of the assets have been replaced, which sometimes means taking delivery of hundreds of new vehicles every week.

Each vehicle is individually monitored to ensure that it performs to its maximum capability through regular maintenance and damage repair, using either the RAC for emergency breakdowns or a network of approved suppliers who handle more routine servicing.

In addition, under the Vehicle Rental Service (VRS) VT personnel handle over 200,000 hire transactions a year. The VT Land offi ce at Aldershot is typical of the regional offi ces in dealing with the local customer units but has the added task of arranging hire vehicles for military personnel from all over the world when they return temporarily to the UK. Aldershot is also the hub of a 24/7 manned desk dealing with all manner of vehicle enquiries during silent hours

Operations Director Chris Backwith

Army construction vehicles,

owned and managed by

VT’s new joint venture with

Amey, known as ALC, are

performing valuable work in front line

operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bulldozers, diggers, rough terrain forklifts and other similar vehicles used by the Army throughout the world are now owned and managed by ALC, which became a VT 50-50 JV following acquisition of the Lex businesses earlier this year.

Just into the fi rst year of the £600 million contract, the C Vehicle Capability programme has already broken new ground as a Pathfi nder Private Finance Initiative, covering thousands of vehicles the Army uses for tasks such as building and repairing base facilities, defences and infrastructure and moving material.

As part of the programme, ALC acquired nearly 4,000 assets from the Ministry of Defence. Over the next few years of the 15-year programme life, those assets will be either refurbished or sold off – to be replaced by some 1700 ALC-procured vehicles in a £100 million investment programme.

Over 100 of those vehicles are already in theatre in Iraq and Afghanistan and ALC is well aware of its responsibility

in getting assets to the front line and keeping them working with an effective spares network. ALC organise transport of those vehicles, often by ship from the UK or Germany and occasionally by aircraft. In some cases, the vehicles are even slung beneath helicopters to be delivered into operational areas.

ALC Operations Director Nigel Hinch explains: “We realise that we need to go the extra mile because we know that soldiers’ lives could depend on it.”

Around 120 ALC personnel provide a round-the-clock service to equip regiments like the Royal Engineers and Royal Logistics Corps with full capability. Besides 10 locations in the UK, ALC also has 6 locations in Germany and Cyprus, carrying out tasks ranging from vehicle maintenance to training others how to operate and repair vehicles which are often operating in confl ict zones. Equipment is already being used in Canada, Falkland Isles, Belize, Brunei, Kenya and Nepal.

Nowadays it’s not unusual for this equipment to be caught up in the front line, while a recent call went out for replacement tyres after the existing ones were destroyed by gunfi re as vehicles worked in Iraq, building a Police ops post.

The hub of this demanding operation,

ALC Ensures Army is Ready for Front Line Construction

Driving the Army to

What They do Best

Much of VT Land’s activity is

concerned with vehicle provision but

its role in the new Allenby Connaught

contract is also based on providing

the people to carry out a wide range

of transport and equipment support

tasks to the British Army Garrisons at

Aldershot and around Salisbury Plain.

Similar services have been provided by Lex at Aldershot for the past ten years. The Allenby Connaught Contract takes those services, expands them and applies them to a much wider Army region in Southern England. Nowadays, VT is the key provider of driving resources that allow Army personnel to concentrate on training for their front-line duties.

VT’s involvement with Allenby Connaught comes as a sub-contractor under the umbrella of Aspire Defence, a massive £8 billion Private Finance Initiative joint venture between Carillion and KBR that provides all manner of construction and a wide range of services to eight Army bases, where around 18,000 military and civilians live and work. For VT, the sub contract for transport and equipment services, which started in July, will span the next ten years with an opportunity to extend further.

VT Land Allenby Connaught Director, Dave Roberts, has run the transport services for Lex and now VT for the past nine years, having previously spent 39 years in the Army. He explains: “Under the old contract we used to provide both fl eet and driver resources direct to the customer, but under Allenby Connaught, whilst the activities are similar to before, it is now mainly a people driven contract, providing driver and fi tter resources, and includes the management and operation of both the Green and White Fleet vehicles.

“The net effect is that the Allenby Connaught contract has increased our revenue and we have taken on far morepeople and provide services acrossa wider region.”

Nearly 240 people provide those transport and equipment support services, the extra regional responsibility having led to VT doubling its staff numbers by transferring into the contractor personnel from the Civil Service.

Well over half the staff are drivers carrying out roles that vary from driving Green Fleet vehicles in support of a military training exercise one day to carrying out chauffeur duties in staff cars the next.

“Our aim is to have a multi-skilled workforce where our drivers can drive any vehicle when required,” adds Dave.

Besides drivers, the other major service provision is fi tters who maintain the Green Fleet vehicles in workshops on the bases at Aldershot and Warminster. Nearly 300 vehicles come under the maintenance responsibility of VT, primarily Land Rovers and 4 Ton Trucks.

VT’s acquisition of the former Lex vehicle support businesses has taken the Group into new areas of

contracting for availability. Besides ships and aircraft, we now supply and manage fl eets of land-based

vehicles. The acquisition has also taken VT into new customer sectors. VTi puts the spotlight on the

new businesses and looks more closely at our activities in vehicle support, which come under the

umbrella of the new VT Support Services.

The White Fleet is partly owned

and supplied by VT who provide

the commercial assets, such as

vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, as well as

many of the specialist assets. The

remainder of the fl eet is supplied by

Lex and this predominately consists

of cars, minibuses and small vans

While the majority of the fl eet are cars, coaches, mini-buses and small lorries, there are several types of vehicle that make the contract a bit different from the usual vehicle management business.

For example, based on airfi elds around the UK are the usual selection of gritter trailers and snow ploughs but even they appear average compared to this unusual collection within the Fleet, all managed by VT Land. For example, there’s:

A trailer that carries the gun carriage used in State funeralsTransits that carry the Queen’s baggage when she travels within the UKMountain rescue vehiclesSome of the vehicles do a handful

of miles every year but they still need to be maintained and managed so that they can be called upon at a moment’s notice, making them as important as a VIP vehicle.

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explains: “We can get almost any vehicle for anyone often at very short notice.”

VT divides the country into three regions – London and the South, South West and Midlands and Scotland and the North – with the network of offi ces ensuring coverage of all MoD facilities and offi ces such as Abbey Wood, home of the Defence Procurement Agency.

“Having local offi ces who have local contacts and know the local customer is the key to fantastic customer service,” says Chris. “Surveys show that we have something like a 97 per cent satisfaction assessment which is incredible. We’re really proud of that.”

A Fascinating Collection

of the Unusual

VTi | SPOTLIGHT ON VEHICLE SUPPORT

Graham Curphey, Regional Director London and South, with the White Fleet Aldershot team: (l to r) Elaine Cheney, Lisa Birchnall, Heather Estry, Lorraine Gale, Jude Wright. On leave were Garry Fry and Tristran Ashley.

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Issue 7 | Winter 2006/7 | VTi Newspaper of the VT Group 5

BA Support Extends to Gatwick and Beyond

VTi | SPOTLIGHT ON VEHICLE SUPPORT

Helping to Ensure that BA Remains the World’s Favourite Airline

Besides Heathrow, Airside’s

work for British Airways extends

to Gatwick, Manchester and

Birmingham where a similar service

is provided to keep the airline’s

vehicle fl eet in full working order.

That involves some 90 personnel at Gatwick and much smaller operations at BA’s other regional airports. Although the BA fl eets at airports outside Heathrow are smaller, much of the equipment is similar.

Martin Audis, Airside’s Operations Director for Gatwick and the regions, explains: “With much of BA’s larger aircraft operating out of Heathrow, Gatwick is busy with smaller aircraft. This drives a need for a different mix of equipment that is used to its full potential and the business is focused on having the maximum

British Airways’ global network

is a constant buzz of fl ights

arriving and leaving Heathrow

Airport throughout the day

and night but behind the scenes

there’s a vital role being played by

VT Airside to keep the UK fl ag carrier’s

operations running smoothly.

Operations never cease in the hectic movement of aircraft, people and vehicles and at the heart of BA’s ground operations are over 2,000 airline-owned vehicles which need to be continually available.

Vehicles ranging from aircraft tractors to de-icers and passenger buses to baggage trucks are a vital cog in BA’s business and it’s up to Airside to ensure that the fl eet of ground vehicles is repaired and maintained to effectively support aircraft operations.

Like BA, it’s a 24/7 operation constantly monitored by an interactive link highlighted on large screens that dominate Airside’s operations centre on the eastern perimeter of the airport. Every 15 seconds, the screens are updated to refl ect BA’s requirement and the operational status of the various types of vehicles.

It’s support at the sharp end and means the 250 or so Airside personnel at Heathrow are well aware that their performance is critical to ensuring that BA’s extensive fl ight schedules are maintained.

Richard Yates, Airside’s Heathrow Operations Director, explains: “Without vehicles being available to support the air operations, BA’s fl ight programme would grind to a halt so we are well aware of our responsibilities. We are here to take on and

manage the customer’s risk associated with variable maintenance costs and to deliver maximum availability of his assets.

“It’s a unique contract because of its scale and 10-year duration, plus the fact that it’s with one of the top fi ve global airlines and a fl ag carrier.”

While many of the vehicles are standard transport, BA’s ground support operations involve specialist units such as aircraft tractor units, cargo handling equipment and aircraft de-icers – the latter a £500,000 outlay that involves sophisticated machinery fi tted on a standard lorry chassis.

“In many cases, our staff require specialist skills to maintain and repair certain equipment and our workforce is characterised by long-serving, highly

skilled personnel,” adds Richard.Airside’s Heathrow operations are

focused on three workshops located throughout the airport estate within BA areas such as dedicated aircraft maintenance and cargo facilities. A full maintenance and repair service is offered, including paint and body shop to deal with any vehicle damage. Besides the 2,000 vehicles, Airside also works on the same number of baggage trailers.

In addition, Airside provides a breakdown service, ready to respond at a moment’s notice to vehicles with problems. So the next time you fl y from Heathrow and see vehicles in the BA livery rushing about the tarmac, you know that VT is playing a vital part in ensuring that the world’s favourite airline remains just that.

Model is Attraction

for Other Airlines

Rising fuel costs and pressures

from budget airlines are likely

to mean more airlines looking

at the British Airways model of

outsourcing elements such as

their vehicle fl eet management,

according to VT Critical

Services Director Austin Lewis.

In particular, VT Airside sees North America as a promising area to export the BA model, with discussions on-going with several US operators.

Austin explains: “Costs for the big national carriers are going up considerably. Elements such as their fl eet maintenance are seen as a non-core activity and there is also the attraction of hiring their vehicle fl eet so that they can re-invest in essential elements like new aircraft. Those factors provide us with an exciting opportunity.”

The idea of a common ground handling fl eet of vehicles used by various airlines, instead of the airline bearing the capital cost of owning their own assets, presents a considerable long-term opportunity for VT Airside, while additional pressures on US airlines make that region of particular interest.

The chance to expand VT’s vehicle support business also extends to emergency services or the blue light sector in the UK.

Police forces with large fl eets like the Met present one opportunity while VT’s existing training business with Fire and Rescue Services could provide scope for developing other opportunities in the vehicle sector.

“There are some extremely large ambulance and local authority vehicle fl eets that would benefi t from outsourcing,” adds Austin.

equipment available at all times.”Manchester and Birmingham have

smaller operating fl eets that require the same availability ratios to give BA the equipment they need when they need it.

Airside’s work at Gatwick and other airports has developed by providing mechanical and repair services to other customers. Trucks, vans and cars belonging to cleaning contractors, Customs and Excise, catering providers, security companies and even other airlines are all serviced in Airside workshops.

Typically, work between BA and other customers is split almost equally but BA remains the main driver through its asset provision requirements.“Our operations mirror those of Heathrow

but on a smaller scale. Nevertheless, Airside again plays a key role in helping to keep BA’s operations running smoothly,” adds Martin.

Technicians Steve South (top), Paul Snow and Arthur Matthews (below), work on aircraft tractor units in the busy VT facility at Heathrow.

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VTi Newspaper of the VT Group | Winter 2006/7 | Issue 76

VTi | SPOTLIGHT ON VEHICLE SUPPORT

When you have a fl eet of 3,600

cars often being driven to

their limits, you need effective

maintenance support that

can be guaranteed to keep

your vehicles on the road and

working to their full capability.

That’s the demanding challenge set by the Met Police and now taken over by VT Emergency Services as part of the fl eet management contract won by the former Lex business just before it was acquired.

In many ways, the operation mirrors that of VT Airside Solutions for British Airways – a customer that expects its vehicle fl eet to be fully operational round the clock ready to deliver an essential front line service under intense usage. On the high profi le London beat,

the Met can never be short of vehicles. The fl eet comprises some 60

different types of vehicles, from bikes to cars and from coaches to horse boxes but the common factor in most cases is that these are no ordinary vehicles. Many of their operational cars are fi tted with technology that often demands specialist skills in areas like communications and monitoring equipment.

New centres, shortly to be opened, will help VT to achieve its target of 95 per cent fl eet availability. The target will mean working on hundreds of vehicles every day, with tasks ranging from routine maintenance to crash repairs

– the latter taking up to 45 vehicles a day off the road every day of the week.

VT Emergency Services Business

Development Director Simon Purchon explains: “Our aim is to be more of a one-stop shop than the previous supplier with a much wider range of skills. We also intend to improve service level standards through the introduction of the new facilities.”

Supporting the new centres are 16 mobile response teams servicing over 100 police stations, with dedicated breakdown vehicles equipped to carry out repairs on the spot or by towing a car to a suitable repair base.

VT’s performance is critical to the performance of the Met. Behind the driver of every Police vehicle there’s a VT support team helping the Met to deliver its aim of making the streets of London safer.

VT is investing some

£10 million in new

facilities that will enable

it to deliver a full range of fl eet

management services for the

Metropolitan Police, following

the start of the ten-year

contract in April this year.

Contract start coincided almost precisely with the acquisition of the former Lex businesses – Lex having won the work from a previous contractor – but over 175 personnel readily swapped their new Lex identity to VT almost immediately to help ensure a seamless transfer.

A few months further on and work is almost complete on two new, advanced maintenance facilities at Park Royal, in north west London, and Camberwell, south of the river, that will become hubs for the maintenance work on the Met Police fl eet.

Each facility comprises the latest equipment to ensure swift and effi cient vehicle maintenance with dozens of bays, ramps, body shops, diagnostic technology, stores areas and parking.

Park Royal is a highly secure, fi ve-acre site, located in an industrial park, and will offi cially open just before Christmas, with Camberwell opening early in the New Year. Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair

will open the Park Royal site.The sites will then become almost a

conveyor belt of vehicle maintenance with Vauxhall, Ford and BMW cars fl owing through the workshops. However, these are no ordinary family saloons – many are fi tted with specialist equipment and are specially manufactured to withstand the rigours of intense round-the-clock operation.

Between them, these two leading sites will maintain and repair over 100 vehicles a day to ensure that the hard-worked Met Police fl eet is kept on the road. Outlying satellite sites will also be staffed by VT personnel for specialist work, most notably at Heathrow Airport where VT’s British Airways vehicle maintenance facilities are used to carry out work on the unique airport fl eet of Police vehicles.

Alongside the workshops, the new facilities house Command and Control Centres where a team of PC-based operators will manage the Police fl eet, plus up to 1,600 short-term hire vehicles, and, via a Help Desk, despatch roving VT response technicians anywhere in the Met area to deal with emergency breakdowns and other call-outs such as specialist communication system faults.

Utilising Tranman software, the system operators will monitor every vehicle in the fl eet to ensure that it is maintained in optimum condition, with the specialist software providing a real time window on fl eet availability and status any time of the day.

£10 Million Investment to Keep Met Police on the Road

Managing the Fleet to Make the Streets of London Safer

Issue 7 | Winter 2006/7 | VTi Newspaper of the VT Group 7

What activities take place

at Wallops Island?

NASA operates a controlled air space test range, which allows a secured “column” into space for orbital and suborbital launches. These launches include satellite deployment, weather and environmental condition sounding rockets, Unmanned air vehicles (UAV’s) for weather research and proving for DOD, weather balloon launching. The Navy uses this airspace and facility as a partner to NASA for training of offi cers on ship weapons systems. They also host joint exercises off-shore of Wallops Island.

What work does VT Griffi n

carry out at WI?

VT, through the Wallops Institutional Consolidated Contract (WICC) provides nearly all support services to NASA and the Navy’s mission. These include: engineering design, review and planning; facilities operations, maintenance, and alterations; construction; ground maintenance; custodial services; operation of a chemical and analytical lab; environmental services; occupational health unit; security services, fi re and rescue services, logistics and supply, fi nancial management, duplication and printing services, professional administration support.

How many people does VTG

employ at Wallops and what sort

of skills do they have? What other

personnel are based there?

VTG employs about 250 maintenance workers, construction workers, custodians, security guards, physicians. Their partners on the contact employ chemists, environmental engineers, fi re fi ghters, emergency medical providers, engineers.

How closely does the team get

involved with space launches?

Security, fi re and rescue and operations support every launch. We support with lifts and rigging for payload and vehicle assembly for staging. We also constructed a multimillion payload processing facility here.

What is the location of WI like,

where is it? How big is it? What’s

the surrounding landscape like and

what attractions does it have?

Wallops Island is an island and main base on the east cost of an area known as the Delmarva pensinsula (from Delaware/Maryland/VA). The peninsula separates the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Wallops is about 160 miles form Washington DC and 120 miles from

Jim and his Team Make their Mark at NASA East Coast Site

VTi | IN THE U.S.

Norfolk VA. The climate: Summers of 80 degree average. Winters of 50 degree averages. It may snow about once a year. Wallops is near a national seashore and wildlife refuge. Other than that, the primary industry for the shore is tourism.

What particular successes have

you had in the past year or so?

We received NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Contractor excellence award, for our outstanding support of the NASA mission, continuous improvement programs, customer service, and innovation. This award weighed us against as many as 30 other contractors inclusive of large support corporations such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin,

What capabilities do you and your team

need to carry out the role successfully?

Although technical capabilities in the skill sets described above are necessary, our team has built a reputation for success as innovators and outstanding communicators.

How do you interface and

work with the customer?

We are included in almost every staff interface with the customers, inclusive of launch support and Mission review groups. Our contract operates under the manufacturing model with each of the support areas monitored and operated by a joint contractor/government Integrated Product Team. The Management of the Contract is through a Joint Program Management team (Key staff from VT and the Contracting offi cer and technical representatives). An emphasis has been placed on partnering toward success… and it works!

What potential is there to grow the

contract further at WI? Are there any

further services that VTG can offer?

Wallops has been successful in acquiring US Air Force customers for launches, as such, VT Griffi n will grow with that effort. Also, Wallops is acquiring commercial aerospace tentants for which VT will provide support, One such customer, Baysys, technologies, customizes 737, 747, and 757 aircraft.

Are there any unusual anecdotes

or stories that you can recall

from your time at WI?

Because of our outstanding support, The Air Force stated that we “were better than Vandenburg’. Vandenburg is the premier west coast launch facility for the US Air Force.

Are there any lessons learned at

WI that might apply to other sites

where VT carries out FM work?

The partnering concept and manufacturing model work if the members are fully committed.

Wallops Island marked a notable fi rst for VT Griffi n when it

represented our fi rst work with the space agency NASA. What’s

more it’s also a success story, with project manager Jim West

named Project Manager of the Year for 2006. We asked Jim to tell

us more about the facility and the work of him and his team.

VT Griffi n can now add the wilds

of Alaska to the network of

locations where it supports the

US Government following a new

contract on remote Kodiak Island.

The Island is a wildlife haven and also home to the US Coastguard’s biggest base with a fl eet of helicopters and ships performing tasks such as air and sea search and rescue, marine safety and navigation, environmental protection, military preparedness, fi sheries and law enforcement. Among the ships based

Remote Alaskan Location Extends Griffi n’s US Coastguard Footprintat Kodiak are the Island Class cutters built to a VT design in the 1980s.

VT will employ some 48 personnel at the base supporting the Coastguard operations. They will be transferred across from the previous incumbent after VT secured the work as a sub-contractor to Kodiak Support Services, which is an Alaskan joint venture.

Under the US rules of contracting the work had to go to an Alaskan company but they identifi ed VT Griffi n as having the expertise to carry out the day-to-day activity which includes materials

purchasing, plant operations, logistics and transport support and maintaining roads and grounds on the huge 21,500 acre site. The ten-year contract is worth nearly $ 70 million.

The contract will extend VT’s footprint to one of the most fascinating natural locations in the US with Kodiak Island originally a Russian settlement in the 18th century.

Nowadays, it is the biggest fi shing port in the US and home to the Kodiak brown bear, the world’s biggest carnivore. Indeed, Kodiak

Mark of success - the NASA site at Wallops Island and Project Manager Jim West (left) receiving his Project Manager award from CEO Ken Smith.

■

is largely the domain of the brown bear with less than 100 miles of road on the island and over 100 salmon streams. There are more than 3,000 of the furry giants roaming the landscape.

For the 14,000 people who live on the island, it’s a life of extremes close to nature. The average winter temperature is minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit with over 84 inches of snow, although things warm up to a balmy 82 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.

20 Year Base Support

Work Programme will

Span US and Overseas

VT Griffi n has been selected

as a member of a Field and

Installation Readiness Support

Team (FIRST) to provide a

wide range of logistics and

maintenance services to the

US Army for the next 20 years.

The programme has a total of 25 prime contractors who will carry out work, along with their teams of sub-contractors, totalling over $30 billion during the contract period. It is divided into two ordering suites, a restricted suite for small businesses and an unrestricted suite for large businesses. VT Griffi n is partnered as a subcontractor to Logistics Management Resources for the restricted suite and with Northrop Grumman on the unrestricted suite.

The work will be similar to the base operations support already carried out by the US subsidiary at various locations and will apply to bases in the US and overseas.

Craftsmen at Fort

Bliss Get Top Marks

VT Griffi n craftsmen providing

support at the US Army’s Fort

Bliss base in Texas are getting

top marks.

Customers get the chance to mark the individuals’ performances through special cards that are posted in drop boxes around the base. The programme has helped VT Griffi n to obtain 99.4 per cent customer satisfaction to the end of October.

VTi Newspaper of the VT Group | Winter 2006/7 | Issue 78

It was a night to remember

as the skies over

Portsmouth Naval Base

lit up to the spectacle that

accompanied the naming of

the Royal Navy’s Offshore

Patrol Vessel HMS Clyde.

As the fi rst complete ship to be built at VT’s new Portsmouth facilities and the vessel that marked the return of shipbuilding to the Naval Base after nearly 40 years, it was no ordinary ship naming ceremony.

And the emphasis remained on the “extraordinary” throughout an evening that saw some 1500 guests watch events from a specially erected grandstand and seating which overlooked dry dock 14 where the 80m. ship

was berthed. VIPs, defence industry fi gures, VT guests and VT employees and their families all witnessed one of the most inspiring RN ship naming events in living memory.

The naming honour went to Mrs Lesley Dunt, wife of Vice Admiral Peter Dunt, Director of Defence Estates.

Lesley pulled the ceremonial lever which smashed a bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull after uttering the

time-honoured words naming the ship and asking God to bless all those who sail in her.

That was the cue for a light and sound extravaganza which beamed

Gearing up for

Unprecedented

Support Challenge

HMS Clyde will present VT with one

of its most demanding challenges

within its established Contractor

Logistic Support (CLS) Service.

Over the next few months, the offshore patrol vessel and her crew will be put through their paces in a programme of trials and training following her hand-over. The aim will be to have the ship on station 6,800 miles away in the Falklands by early summer.

VT’s task will be to ensure the ship is available for operation at least 282 days a year, a challenge that will involve working closely with the crew, on-site VT personnel in the South Atlantic and the Defence Logistics Organisation.

George Jamieson and David Edwards have been appointed as VT Systems Managers who will be dedicated to supporting the ship, either travelling on board or providing shore-based back-up on the Falklands. George has an engineering background gained during his time in the Royal Navy, whilst David is an electronics expert, having worked for the former VT Controls. They will be supported by VT personnel who already work on the Falklands maintaining power station facilities and communications systems on behalf of the MoD.

HMS Clyde’s Commanding Offi cer Lieutenant Commander Simon Hopper explained: “The support principle has already been tested with the Echo Class survey ships and River Class ships but we are now taking this concept 6,800 miles away so it will be a totally new challenge.”

VT, which continues to own the ship and is chartering her to the MoD, will provide a round-the-clock, global maintenance commitment including repairs and spares for the fi ve years of the initial agreement, using modern automated equipment and commercial maintenance practices.

VT Naval Support’s OPV (H) Project Manager Richard Labone added: “The quality of the Ship and the comprehensive support package that we provide mean that the RN can concentrate on operational requirements while VT conducts the more in depth maintenance and support activities. We work hand-in-glove with the RN crew to make sure we deliver unprecedented levels of availability.”

VTi | AT A GLITTERING NIGHT

Night to Remember as Spectacular

Show Marks HMS Clyde Namingthe images and anecdotes of the ship and her predecessors, the Falkland Islands and Portsmouth Naval Base’s heritage across the hull of the newest ship in the RN fl eet.Clyde’s Commanding Offi cer Lt. Cdr Simon Hopper described the glories of past HMS Clydes and the relevance of today’s ship; 93-year-old Hedley Kett a former submariner with the last HMS Clyde, told of her Second World War exploits, while Naval Base historian Brian Patterson regaled the tales of the Base’s shipbuilding heritage.

As the main lights faded, the beams focused on the haunting presence of a lone piper on the upper deck to provide a suitably Scottish theme with his rendition of Highland Cathedral.Then, as the music drew to a close, the momentary silence was broken by a crescendo of noise and lights as the pyrotechnics took over. It was a show that must have entertained people for miles around, certainly those in the Base.

And as events

drew to a close the Royal Navy provided its own salute to the newest

member of the Fleet with all the ships in the Base blasting their sirens in

combined salute to the ship, her crew and as the fi nale to a night

of memorable entertainment.

Below, Lesley Dunt names HMS Clyde and (left) is thanked by VT Shipbuilding Portsmouth Managing Director Francis Paonessa as the assembled guests in the grandstand look on.

■

‘‘ We waited with some interest; this was a complete

break with tradition compared to the old style launch ceremony. It became clear as we arrived at the base that the event was going to be well organised, from being marshalled to park the car, to the refreshments, which was extremely well done. The entertainment was very good, they kept the youngsters amused! Good thinking. The ceremony itself was brilliant; it took the old style launch ceremony straight into the 21st century, in line with VT new image. Visitors to VT who were present at the ceremony must have left with an impression that here is a very up front and modern company with a work force that is extremely proud of its achievements.

’’Bill Spencer, Fabrication Hall

‘‘ Just a short note to thank you for inviting me to the

naming ceremony for Clyde. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and felt that the event was well executed and a great piece of showmanship.

’’Steve Mogford, Chief Operating

Offi cer, BAE Systems.

‘‘ Every now and again in one’s career there are

occasions that will forever be a highlight, and for me and so many others last night, your hospitality will have been one such time… the naming ceremony was a sensational combination of maritime tradition and the magnifi cent use of technology to present this very important and advanced ship in such a fi tting light.

’’Commodore David Steel,

Naval Base Commander (Portsmouth)

‘‘ Many senior offi cers have expressed to me how

impressed they were with the naming ceremony. My Ship’s Company and I felt honoured and privileged to be involved in the proceedings, those involved in the ceremony of Sunset Guard especially. The backdrop of HMS VICTORY is a diffi cult one to surpass but VT made a sterling effort in the stunning audio and visual display which highlighted so vividly the proud past and bright future of the name CLYDE.

’’Lt. Commander Simon Hopper,

HMS Clyde Commanding Offi cer.

‘‘ I have worked at VT for over 30 years, so when my

wife and I received our invitation to the naming ceremony of Clyde, at the Portsmouth Naval Base, we were unsure of what to expect. It was a great atmosphere, with lots of excited people talking about the old style launch, asking questions, but not really getting any answers because who really knew how the evening would unfold? Whatever thoughts people had were quickly forgotten by the start of the spectacular show that unfolded before their eyes. Who could forget the fi rst launch at Portsmouth, with the light show, the lone Piper, the band, the fi reworks… a magical night.

’’Rod Davis, Hull Manager

If your team were trying to show the modern, dynamic face of VT Shipbuilding in Portsmouth they completely succeeded. Rear Admiral Jonathan Reeve

‘‘ Thanks to the thoughtfulness of VT Shipbuilding,

I fi rst ‘met’ HMS CLYDE last June, in the early stages of her build. To see her in Dock 14 on the night of 7 September was a revelation. The memories of that marvellous event from the tea party through to the naming ceremony itself, will stay with me forever, but there are two that stand out: the fi zz fl owing over her pennant number and the ‘welcome’ hoots from other ships in the Dockyard. The atmosphere was electric and I found the ceremony very moving. As her Sponsor, it was a great honour to name her and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking all those who built her, and who are involved with her ongoing progress to becoming operational.

’’Mrs Lesley Dunt, Sponsor, HMS Clyde

Issue 7 | Winter 2006/7 | VTi Newspaper of the VT Group 9

CVF Bridge Mock-up Provides Glimpse of the Future

There’s a glimpse of the future

in one of the workshops

at Portsmouth Naval Base

after VT Shipbuilding

built a full-scale mock-up of

the bridge of the Royal Navy’s

future aircraft carrier (CVF).

VT is already carrying out design work on the massive 65,000 tons ships but it was decided the only way to test the lay-out and practicality of the ship’s bridge was to build a wooden replica which spans around 20 metres wide.

VT joiners did a splendid job in replicating the nerve centre of the ship which was then “road-tested” by the offi cers of HMS Ark Royal, one of the RN’s existing aircraft carriers.

VT Training Apprentice

Wins Top National Award

VTi | IN FOCUS

Improved high frequency

communications are on the

agenda for Royal Navy ships

and RAF stations around the

globe following an upgrade to

facilities centred on Forest Moor,

deep in the heart of Yorkshire.

The facility is at the hub of the Defence High Frequency Communications Service (DHFCS) programme operated and managed by VT Communications in a Public Private Partnership valued at £220 million over 15 years.

VT Comms has already made considerable progress towards improving and upgrading the network of sites receiving and transmitting daily communications all day, every day of the year.

Some 14 sites in the UK have been rationalised to six with over 1500 acres of defence estate being returned to the Government. Overseas, four sites provide services to both air and surface platforms. In addition, the global rationalisation programme has led to the release of approximately 200 military personnel to other higher priority duties

The revamped Forest Moor facility, which started life more than 60 years ago as a radio station for the War Offi ce, was offi cially opened by Rear Admiral Rees Ward, head of the

Defence Communications Service Agency (DCSA), who said that the partnership with VT Comms had led to considerable improvements in communications infrastructure that was “past its sell-by date.”

“HF communications will take some of the load away from satellite communications and enable us to get through information in a cheaper and far more cost effective way,” he said.

“The second major thing is partnering. DHFCS is a real success with customer and contractor having a good understanding of each other’s requirement. We are in this for the long haul and we are in it together – it’s a win-win situation.”

VT Chief Executive Paul Lester added: “This programme refl ects what the Defence Industrial Strategy is all about – taking an asset that is technically challenging and tasking a contractor with looking after it.”

VT has partnered with Rockwell Collins and Qinetiq to deliver the new technology required under DHFCS. The contract has enhanced the quality, availability and reliability of the worldwide network of HF communications assets used by all three UK armed forces.

This includes new transmitters, receivers, antennas, and an integrated control system to provide new data services offering Automatic Link Establishment (ALE),

Forest Moor Opening Highlights Success of DHFCS Programme

Automatic Repeat Request (ARR) and Automatic Link Management (ALM).

Combined with the introduction of new RAF and RN platform HF communications equipment supplied under separate

contracts, DHFCS will take full advantage of the modern high-speed waveforms to provide rapid data throughput, eventually including HF email.

FSL in Move to Make Cost Savings at Naval Base

Joint venture Fleet Support

Limited (FSL), working

closely with the Naval Base

Commander, has carried

out a comprehensive review of

operations in Portsmouth Naval

Base in a move that will seek to

cut costs at the facility by up to 20

per cent over the next four years.

Pressure on the RN budget has meant that the UK’s naval bases have been charged with looking at how they can make big savings to release more funds to the front line. In Portsmouth, the home of the RN surface fl eet, a joint NBC/FSL wide-ranging assessment has been made, under the heading Project Dreadnought, that is set to streamline the future activities of the Base. At the same time the MoD has initiated a review across all naval bases although it will be next year before a fi nal outcome is known.

FSL and Portsmouth MoD personnel have tackled the challenge by taking a radical look at how the area and activities of the Naval Base could change to deliver the required savings. In the current year, more effi cient working and initiatives such as a war on

waste are set to deliver savings of £10 million, while in the longer term there are proposals to deliver more continuous engineering support at the waterfront, reduce the number of ship dry dockings, and encourage integrated working across base users.

Naval Base Strategy Director Peter Jaynes commented: “It has been an extremely intense period and we have left no stone unturned in seeking ways to make the Base more cost-effective but ensuring that it retains the ability to support the RN front-line. We believe that we have produced some innovative measures that will keep Portsmouth as the centre of excellence for surface ship support.”

Portsmouth has some unique features including a “one stop shop” that embraces ship design, build, maintenance and support. The resulting increased effi ciency will be a signifi cant factor when the MoD considers the future footprint of naval base infrastructure.

Naval Base Commander Commodore David Steel added: “If our proposals are accepted, and we are allowed to implement them, we will attract even more defence related business into the Naval Base.”

VT CVF Project Manager Geoff Searle explained: “They were able to carry out validation and evaluation trials, running through various scenarios and testing out the bridge’s ergonomics. As a result they made some changes which have resulted in a bridge wing being introduced.”

The ship’s bridge more closely resembles a commercial ship than a warship with large full length glass windows set to provide impressive visibility.

The success of the mock-up is now likely to result in replicas of other key areas of the ship, such as the fl ying control and ship’s operations rooms, being built.

VT Comms personnel in the new Network Control Station at Forest Moor■

Sarah Herrick and Minister Phil Hope■

A VT trained apprentice, employed

as a chef in Leicestershire, has won

the prestigious title of Apprentice of

the Year at the Learning and Skills

Council’s Apprenticeship Awards.

Sarah Herrick (22), who works at the Crown Inn in the picturesque village of Tur Langton, started her chef apprenticeship under VT Training just over a year ago, working under the guidance of VT vocational coach Linda Neville.

The awards are the most prestigious within the work-based learning sector, covering a huge variety of industry sectors throughout England. Sarah won the Leicestershire heat and the regional heat before being awarded the overall title.

Sarah became a chef after being medically discharged from the Army following an injury.

Having started her cooking career in the kitchen at the Crown Inn, Sarah soon realised that if she was serious about a career she needed to become qualifi ed.

She enrolled on an apprenticeship programme with VT Training. “I’m very ambitious and the programme has clear steps of progression towards my goals,” explains Sarah.

“Learning in the work place means that I’m getting the hands on skills for food preparation, but unlike college, I’m learning to apply those skills under the pressure of a busy, working restaurant. It’s good news for my employer too, as I work even harder at my job because in doing so I can put more into my training programme.”

Sarah was named Apprentice of the Year at a glitzy ceremony at London’s Park Lane Hilton.

And there was further recognition of her achievement when Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills Phil Hope visited the Crown Inn. The Minister was shown some food demonstration skills by Sarah and then donned the chef’s hat to try his hand, watched over carefully and assessed by Linda Neville!

Having been coached by Sarah to prepare the Inn’s dish of the day, the Minister produced his own impressive version of New England scallops with fresh mango, a julienne of vegetables, crispy mange touts and a Thai dressing.

It was the fi rst of two days with VT for the Minister. The following day he visited the Portsmouth shipbuilding factory where he toured the Workplace Learning Centre which provides employees with skills including literacy, numeracy and IT.

VTi Newspaper of the VT Group | Winter 2006/7 | Issue 710

Working in a small team with a

hands-on approach has been one

of the most enjoyable aspects

for VT Hellas Ship Platform

Manager Tony Fiddy during his

two years based at Elefsis.

Tony has a wealth of experience working overseas, having been with VT in the Gulf and then spending four years in Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding before returning to VT for the Greek project.

“It’s a small team here and you have to use your own initiative so everyone works together in a team approach.” explains Tony, whose role is the interface between VT and the yard on all aspects of the ship, apart from the weapons where VT colleague Carl Moody takes the lead. “Our relationship

with Elefsis has improved considerably since the early days and it’s now more of a partnership between both of us and the Hellenic Navy,” says Tony.

Although construction of the ships is an important area for the VT team, they are also heavily involved in managing sub-contractors during setting-to-work of the equipments and trials, followed by the warranty period.

One of the attractions of working and living in Greece for Tony is the outdoor lifestyle. “You live the Mediterranean life but with a European culture and it’s easy to travel and see the islands and other parts of Greece from here,” says Tony, who lives with his wife in the northern suburbs of Athens.

Building one of the world’s most

advanced attack craft in an

overseas shipyard has written a

new chapter in VT’s impressive

history of transferring ship technology.

The small team in the self-contained subsidiary VT Hellas has spent the past six years working closely with Elefsis Shipyards in a partnering approach to provide the Hellenic Navy with the latest ship technology for patrolling the Greek archipelago.

With three of the fi ve ships so far in service – and the possibility of further vessels to come – VT has played a valuable role in helping Elefsis to build a ship that has won widespread admiration.

Initially, the VT team worked with Elefsis in a 40 million Euro investment on upgrading the busy shipyard ready for the new project, investing in a new assembly hall and offi ces, plus new shell rolls, panel line, laser cutting and pipe bending machinery.

Detailed construction drawings of the 62m. Super Vita ship – based on similar, slightly smaller vessels also built by VT – were then given to the Greek shipyard ready for the start of

production, while back in the UK most of the ship equipments were procured by VT Shipbuilding for delivery to Greece.

Once the ships were structurally complete and their platform systems set to work by Elefsis, VT took over the task of weapons integration, setting to work and sea trials prior to fi nal fi nishing off and handover to the Hellenic Navy.

VT Shipbuilding Project Director Bruce Balchin explains: “Our responsibility was initially at the front end before Elefsis took over. Then the ships came back to VT for the last part of the programme. In such a complex project, there have been some issues but now the fi rst three ships are delivered the Hellenic Navy are delighted with them.”

One of the most impressive aspects was the minimal number of defects identifi ed on the fi rst-of-class ship, HS Roussen, when she was inspected before hand-over – indeed, even less than the latter Sandown Class minehunters built at Woolston.

Working in a Greek shipyard – particularly one that mixes commercial ship refi ts with military work – has been a valuable experience for the VT team which comprises personnel overseeing

VTi | IN GREECE

Greek Task Provides New Success for Technology Transfer Skills

VT’s involvement with Elefsis

Shipyards has helped the

Greek facility to become

one of the most capable

shipbuilders in the Mediterranean.

The Elefsis yard - a 30 minute drive west of Athens – is in the Elefsina industrial area, nestling on the scenic Aegean coast, and is immediately recognisable by the 400 tonne crane that towers above the skyline. It’s a spacious facility that is well renowned as a commercial repair yard and builder of auxiliary ships for the Hellenic Navy. Indeed, Elefsis skills even extend to building trains.

But VT has used its wealth of experience in building for the Royal Navy and overseas customers to help Elefsis move to another level by helping to upgrade its facilities and developing the skills to address the Super Vita challenge.

Key to the development has been a major investment in new buildings and machinery which has enabled Elefsis to develop further its ship construction skills.

“This project has put us on the international map,” says Yiannis Tavoularis of Elefsis. “There were some growing

pains but the relationship with VT steadily improved and has developed to very good levels. Working alongside VT we have learned a lot and this project has made us one of the most signifi cant yards in the Mediterranean and Europe.”

One of the biggest challenges has been integrating a wide range of advanced weapons systems into a 62 metre ship. “The Super Vita is the most complex vessel to be built in Greece. The combination of size, armament and electronics makes it the most powerful vessel of its size anywhere. The Greek Navy is a very demanding customer but we have worked closely as Elefsis, VT and the Hellenic Navy to deliver these ships,” adds Mr Tavoularis.

The partnership between VT and Elefsis is one the Greeks would like to develop – not only with the build of follow-on Super Vitas for the Hellenic Navy but also on other programmes.

“We’re happy to support VT in developing new markets. It would be a pity for our relationship with VT to end when the Hellenic Navy programme is complete and we are working on opportunities to maintain the links,” says Mr Tavoularis.

Elefsis Develops Mediterranean Capability

Hellenic Navy Happy

with New Ships

The new attack craft have

been given the thumbs-

up by the Hellenic Navy

after overcoming the

demanding challenges

traditionally associated

with a fi rst-of-class ship.

The fi rst three craft were all handed over in a period spanning less than six months and were soon demonstrating their qualities around the Aegean.

Lt. Commander Nick Kasimakis, commanding offi cer of the second ship HS Daniolis, said that the seakeeping abilities of the ships were particularly impressive, enabling them to spend several days at sea.

After three years standing by HS Danilos while she was in build, Lt. Cdr. Kasimakis was keen to get the vessel into operation and during the summer his was one of two ships that joined a NATO exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean. He said philosophically: “A ship is like any new child. They suffer sickness but once they grow up everything is fi ne.”

Martin Makes the Most

of the Greek Lifestyle

VT Hellas materials controller

Martin Coombs is the longest

serving member of the team,

having worked in Greece

for nearly six years.

At the time, it was a big move for Martin to leave the Woolston shipyard after nearly 20 years working there. It was his fi rst visit to Greece and, indeed, the fi rst time he had fl own when he made that initial trip to Athens.

A few years later he is sold on living and working in Greece. “At fi rst you got a bit homesick but I really enjoy it now and would like to stay for the duration of the contract,” he says.

“You still have the same job but you are working with a different type of people with a different culture and that’s what makes it interesting. It’s also a new and challenging environment which I enjoy.”

Martin’s role means working closely with the procurement team in Portsmouth whose experience and purchasing power means that VT can procure most of the ships’ equipments on more favourable terms.

Once procured, it’s down to Martin to oversee the delivery of equipments ranging from widgets to engines and guns so they are there when needed in the construction programme.

“It’s vital that equipment is delivered in line with the ship’s build. In addition to the initial equipment there are also issues such as warranties and spares to follow up,” explains Martin, who lives in a northern suburb of Athens.

Small Team Puts Emphasis

on Working Together

elements including mechanical, electrical, weapons and hull systems.

However, the team have adapted well to their new environment and surroundings, plus the challenge of a totally different way of working.

VT Weapons Systems Engineer Carl

Moody, who has been in Greece for two years, explains: “Certain aspects have been a challenge and you have to get used to a totally different working culture but we have overcome that to deliver a state-of-the-art ship.”

The Elefsis facility near Athens.■

The VT Hellas team.■

Issue 7 | Winter 2006/7 | VTi Newspaper of the VT Group 11

Around The Group

So Close to FA Cup Glory for VTFC

It was a case of if only as VT

FC’s dreams of FA Cup glory

came to an end with defeat

by big guns Salisbury.

The Group’s football team’s ground on the outskirts of Southampton was crammed with fans who watched the FA Cup tussle. While Salisbury marched on to a second round BBC televised match at home to Nottingham Forest, it was back to Wessex League action for VT.

The team are comfortably placed in the higher reaches of the Wessex Premier League and aspire to reach the Southern League which is only three steps below the Football League. However, to continue their climb, they need sponsorship and several VT suppliers have done a great job in helping the Group to support the club.

Manager Dave Diaper says: “Our further progress will only be achievable with fi nancial assistance and in particular support from VT Group and its suppliers who we are extremely grateful to.”

Leading sponsors of the club are: Rapid Welding

Dent Steel

Oce

R&M Electrical

International Paints

Speedy Hire

Clares

Humber Electrical

VT Group Supply Chain Director Marion Luckhurst adds: “It is testament to the strength of our relationships with our suppliers that they are prepared to sponsor the team and we are always looking for additional support and sponsorship.”

Anyone who can support the football club should contact Wayne Broomfi eld on 01489 775259.

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VTi | NEWS

VT Bordon hosted a meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers when they visited the REME (Royal and Electrical Mechanical Engineers) historic vehicles collection. The group of engineers were told about the design and development of armoured vehicles by VT’s Brian McMahon, from the Engineering Science Department at Bordon. Anyone wishing to apply for membership of the Institution should contact Brian on 01420 485509.

Tranman, the fl eet management software from VT Software Solutions, has been offi cially recognised by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) as being fully compliant with the requirements set out in VOSA’s Guide to Maintaining Road Worthiness. Tranman is widely used by local authorities, MoD, emergency services, utilities and large private sector organisations.

VT Communications has chosen Detica, the information intelligence consultancy, to generate the critical time signal known as the “Pips” that will be used to transmit the national time and frequency standard for the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). VT Comms starts transmitting the radio signal next year. As part of the new arrangement, VT Comms will move the transmission site from Rugby to Anthorn on the west coast of Cumbria.

VT Group has become a member of the Safer London Foundation (SLF), a charitable arm of the Met Police which aims to make London a safer place to live by bringing the police and community together. Chairman Mike Jeffries (pictured left above) was presented with a certifi cate by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair in recognition of the Group’s membership.

Ben Betterton, a body technician working on the Metropolitan Police fl eet management contract with VT Emergency Services, has been named as the outstanding technical student (body and paint) in the Institute of the Motor Industry’s annual learning and skills awards.

Fleet Support Limited has handed over Almirante Cochrane (formerly HMS Norfolk ), the fi rst of three ex-Royal Navy Type 23 frigates regenerated for the Chilean Navy.

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FSL has secured the refi t

of the Type 23 frigate HMS

Iron Duke in the wake

of a Memorandum of

Understanding outlining a

new process of allocating

RN ship support work.

Along with Babcock Ship Support Limited (BSSL) and Devonport Management Limited (DML), FSL has signed a Surface Ship Support Alliance (SSSA) MoU with the MoD.

The framework agreement has included the allocation of ship repair work for 2007 which provides FSL with an eight-month task on Iron Duke.

Work will start in February and will include upgrades for the ship to accommodate the Merlin helicopter, fi tting of a sub-surface torpedo decoy system, plus habitability improvements and preservation work.

VT Education and Skills

has strengthened its

position in national

education programmes after

winning a three-year contract

to manage the national

delivery of personal, social

and health education (PSHE)

on behalf of the Department

for Education and Skills and

the Department of Health.

The programme is provided to teachers, community nurses and other professionals working with children from fi ve years upwards and ranges from basic health awareness to drugs and AIDS

education at the older age range.Over 2,000 teachers participate

in the PSHE programme after being trained by leads from local authorities. VT’s role will be to train and manage approximately 150 leads who are spread throughout local authorities in England. This will be in close partnership with Roehampton University who will validate and accredit the programme.

It is the fi rst time the role has been outsourced to a private contractor by the Departments and cements VT’s reputation in national education programmes alongside its current role assessing Excellent Teachers and Advanced Skills Teachers.

VT will manage the groups of PSHE leads, bringing them together on a regional basis to ensure the effi cient delivery of training and support to teachers and others teaching PSHE both within the classroom and other educational settings.

“We want to develop the current excellent programme. In future participants undertaking the course will be accredited and we will also be developing a distance learning model,” explains Dr Marcus Watson, Managing Director of VT Four S the business responsible for the delivery of the contract.

VT Secures New National Education Work

Latest Contract Underlines Education Support Role

Flagship Training has been named as one of the top training providers in the country by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI), the government body responsible for the quality of education and training for adults and young people. At the launch of his annual report, Chief Inspector, David Sherlock, named Flagship as one of only 151 organisations to receive ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ inspection grades for every aspect of its training.

VT Land colleagues Steve Tyrers and Dave Stribling braved the West Country summer tourist traffi c to complete a charity cycle ride from Abbey Wood, Bristol, to Devonport Plymouth in aid of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). While Steve cycled, Dave accompanied him in the support vehicle and together their efforts raised nearly £3,000 for the Fund.

National LSC Agenda for Change Champion, Ray Dowd, who is tasked with looking at how to deliver the UK’s skills training needs in a more effective and effi cient way, said that VT was extremely well placed to take a leading role in helping to deliver the UK’s skills needs after a visit to VT Shipbuilding. VT Education and Skills has the largest number of learners on LSC programmes of any work-based learning provider.

Army personnel from Finland have become the latest students to take advantage of teaching facilities run by VT Land instructors at the School of

Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering at Arborfi eld. A group of six passed a fi ve-week course training them in maintenance of multi-launch rocket systems.

VT Naval Support has received a double commendation for its work as part of the Ministry of Defence ship Design Support Alliance, fi rstly for the design solution to fi t mini-guns to Sandown Class minehunters and secondly for its contribution to the successful refi t of the minehunter HMS Shoreham.

VT Bordon training business manager Trevor Piper has produced a photographic record of ships built by Vosper Thornycroft, dating from Nautilus in 1862, in an impressive new book titled “Vosper Thornycroft Built Warships.” The book is published by Maritime Books (01579 343663) at £17.99 and is a great Christmas stocking fi ller for ship buffs.

A golf tournament with a difference was held in Oman when some 60 competitors from VT organisations based in country, plus the country’s Minister of Oil and Gas battled it out over 36 holes in Muscat. Golf courses in Oman are not like those in most centres of the sport – in the Gulf state greens are browns and you’re in the sand as soon as you stray off the fairway!

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■VT Halmatic has made a ground-

breaking move into the French

Navy with a contract to supply 20

rigid infl atable commando boats.

The new 9.5m. craft are based on the Pacifi c 28, which is widely in service with the Royal Navy, but with features developed specifi cally for the French requirement. A modular build and more adaptable platform have been incorporated in the existing design

to enhance the range of RIBs that Halmatic can offer the maritime sector.

The new RIBs will replace the existing craft used by the French Marine Commandos and will provide improved performance and capability, particularly in areas such as maritime assault, fi re support, insertion and as a command platform. The craft will also be capable of conducting humanitarian missions in support of evacuation and rescue.

RIBs for French Navy is Ground Breaking Move

MoU Leads to Iron Duke Refi t

Over 25 charities nationwide

are set to benefi t from

VT’s annual charity budget

donations this year.

The good causes are all specifi c local charities rather than large national or international organisations, with a wide geographic spread ensuring that VT supports fund-raisers in many of the areas where it has businesses.

That includes Sheffi eld Children’s Hospital Charity, the North West Air Ambulance, Rochdale Special Needs Cycling Club and a youth counselling service in the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

Selecting where the charity budget will be allocated is a daunting task for the VT Charity Committee which receives hundreds of applications every year.

“We try and identify causes where our donations will make a difference rather than putting money in the coffers of a large organisation which is already well known,“ explains Matt Jowett, Committee Chairman.

VT is keen to support charities close to its main offi ces in the South of England. In Portsmouth, the environmental group Earthworks Trust, Portsmouth and Southsea Voluntary Lifeguards and Havant and District Sports Association for the Disabled are among those which have benefi ted.

In Southampton, help has been given to charities including those involved in asthma research, providing family facilities in a neo-natal unit and another funding a child ambulance covering the South of England.

A donation for the Asthma, Allergy and Infl ammation Research Charity (AAIR)

Asthma research will help towards purchase of a time lapse microscope to be used for cell studies in the continuing quest to counter the genes that make airways react and cause an asthma attack.

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Southampton General Hospital received money to buy specialist equipment for an ambulance which is used to transport up to 350 children a year from throughout the South of England to the Paediatric Unit.

At the nearby Princess Anne Hospital, the VT donation will help to refurbish a room where families stay to be close to their ill or prematurely born babies.

It will be known as the VT Family Room.

■ Charity efforts are continually

taking place throughout the Group,

from individuals or work groups.

Included in recent efforts was a

£1,000 sum raised by production

workers at VT Halmatic and donated

to the Portsmouth-based Teenweld

charity for handicapped children.

Any individual or group in VT with

a good charity story should e-mail

the VTi editor if they would like

their efforts to be recognised.

VTi | IN FOCUS

Group

Designed and produced in-house by VT Lifeskills, part of VT Education and Skills, on behalf of VT Group. VT House, Grange Drive, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2DG Editor: Phil Rood 01489 775 213

Printed on recycled paper

VT Trio are Sporting High Achievers

Three VT employees

have been making the

sporting headlines, led by

VT geresearch director

Donna James who claimed a

silver medal in the over 40s

section of the world triathlon

championships in Switzerland.

Donna, who fi nished fi fth in last year’s event, produced an impressive showing to run the US winner close after the gruelling competition, comprising swimming, cycling and running. Indeed, she was well down after the 1500 metre lake swim but fought back to win the 40k bike event before battling into the medal places at the end of the run.

“After a couple of injuries last year which affected my preparation, my aim now is a full winter of training where I can improve my swimming so I have a good chance of gold in next year’s championships in Hamburg,” says Donna.

Already a triathlon international, Donna’s success has also extended to her representing England in the masters cross country team this winter.

Another lady with plenty of stamina is VT Maritime Dynamics fi nancial controller Trish Lane (right) whose

For the summer months, VT Group’s

share price mirrored the general

performance of the market, peaking

at an unprecedented level of over

518p in September. VT stock was

buoyed by the City’s anticipation

of news on major defence support

services, shipbuilding and Building

Schools for the Future tenders.

However, in the run-up to the interim results and in the wake of those fi gures, the share price fell because of the uncertainty over the major PFI programmes and the future of shipbuilding. Many investors have expressed the view that VT faces an important next few months as decisions on key programmes are announced.

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VT Education and Skills has

secured the fi rst Building

Schools for the Future (BSF)

contract to be fi nalised in

London after forming a Strategic

Partner Organisation with

Greenwich Borough Council.

The landmark deal is only the second BSF contract to be signed in the country and will bolster VT’s position as it progresses other BSF opportunities.

BSF is a major government initiative to rebuild, refurbish and re-equip all secondary schools in England over the next 15 years, helping to transform education.

The multi-million pound Greenwich programme will transform every secondary school in the borough through new buildings and improved facilities. Five schools are due to be transformed in the fi rst wave

of the programme, which will ultimately cover three waves of 13 secondary schools with a capital value in excess of £290 million.

VT will support the Local Education Authority and will carry out Project Management, Design Management and Procurement of the schemes.

School designs for the fi rst wave of fi ve schools are being developed and preparations are being made for the procurement of the construction, ICT (Information Communications Technology) and facilities management supply chains.

The new schools will also provide new facilities for the wider community, for learning and community use both during and beyond the school day.

Cllr Chris Roberts, Leader of Greenwich Council, said: “Greenwich has high expectations from our

strategic partner and we were looking for an organisation which demonstrated a real commitment to giving our children fi rst-class schools. We are confi dent that VT shares the aspirations we have for future generations of our students and are looking forward to a successful long-term partnership.”

VT Education and Skills Managing Director Simon Withey added: “We are delighted to be partnering Greenwich in delivering this fl agship BSF programme for London. These are exciting times in Greenwich and VT is fully committed to playing its part in helping the Borough with its development plans.

“We will utilise our considerable experience in education to ensure that the BSF programme provides a catalyst for raising the standards of secondary school education in Greenwich.”

speciality is even more arduous. She competed in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, requiring a 2.4 mile swim, 110 mile bike ride and a marathon 26.2 mile run.

Trish’s strength is the swim where she was second amateur overall in Hawaii despite the diffi culties of swimming in open seas. The bike element was also a challenge with part of it involving an 18-mile climb. Her overall time for the event was just over 11 hours, which placed her half way among the 1800 professional and amateur competitors.

Our third sporting hero is James Birnie, a senior course designer for VT Land at Arborfi eld. Representing his native Scotland, James won a bronze in his weight category at the Commonwealth Masters Judo Championships in Northern Ireland.

He also represented Scotland in the European Championships in Prague and, bolstered by sponsorship from VT, will take part in the 2007 World Masters in Brazil.

Charities Far and Wide Benefi t from Annual VT Budget

Boost for Education Business with First Building Schools Contract in London

VT has gone back to school to fi nd out

exactly what pupils want to see in the

young persons’ section of the website

of Learning 21, the joint venture with

Costain which is addressing Building

Schools for the Future (BSF).

The Group’s links with Admiral Lord Nelson School, Portsmouth, resulted in a group of year nine pupils being asked how the website could be enhanced and their ideas provided valuable research in the project.

The exercise underlined the value of VT’s links with schools which also include City of Portsmouth Boys, the Sholing Technology College and St. Anthony’s, Manchester. Both St.Anthony’s and Admiral Lord Nelson were supported by VT in their quest to attain specialist Business and Enterprise status, while City of Portsmouth were involved in a photographic assignment at the recent naming of the

offshore patrol vessel HMS Clyde.Admiral Lord Nelson Business and

Enterprise Co-ordinator Angie Gardiner recognises the value of VT’s support. “The students fi nd it invaluable when adults other than teachers come into the classroom. People coming in from outside have a fresh perspective and knowledge that they are using in the workplace and the students fi nd that really useful,” she says.

Sholing Girls have also made regular visits to the VT Shipyard at Portsmouth where they have been helped in technical projects. VT Shipbuilding Portsmouth Managing Director Francis Paonessa also sits on the school’s panel of Governors.

“Providing access to our facilities and technology not only helps the girls with their courses but also gives them a valuable insight into a working environment,” he says.

VT School Links Pay Dividends with Pupils’ Project

VT’s charity budget will help efforts to carry out research into asthma and allergies.■