About the MTC

The Marine Training Corps is a Community Interest youth organisation based across the United Kingdom. Currently, we have units in Kent, Sussex, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, and East Anglia with a three-year development plan to extend our units further into these and other counties. The Marine Training Corps has a wide range of adult instructors combined with both military and civilian experience to enrich the organisation for our young people. The organisation has a three-tier level of executive leadership, management and our operational staff. The combined experience of all staff gives the MTC a unique framework of a learning experience for all of our cadets on both a collective and individual level.

Our general framework of study covers the following at differentiated levels:

A basic introduction to military life.
Drill parade and marching.
Fieldcraft.
First aid.
Physical well-being.
Mental well-being and self-esteem.
Citizenship
Map skills and compass work.
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mechanical (STEM)

In May 2024 the MTC won the London & South East England 2024/25 Prestige Awards for Specialised Training.

PATRON FOR THE MTC

In July 2024 Ant Middleton Joined the MTC as Patron and Colonel, During an Activity Training Weekend on Saturday 29th June 2024, Ant made a wonderful surprise virtual appearance from overseas, announcing himself as their new Patron to the excited 110 cadets onsite, who had no idea that he would be their new Patron and Honorary Colonel.

Of his new appointment, Ant said, “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work alongside Dan Bradley and his team. These organisations need our support; young people today engage with the structure, training and adventure that the Marine Training Corps can provide, developing life-skills that are transferable not only to their personal lives – to make them strong and well-rounded young people – but to their future careers, whether that be military focussed or elsewhere. I can’t wait to get stuck into the activity training events and have lots of fun with these guys. I am honoured to be part of their team.”

Daniel Bradley, First Director of the Marine Training Corps, said:

“Myself and the team are extremely excited to have Ant join the team, The Marine Training Corps is growing around the UK giving young people skills for the future, we don’t just look at the Military but service roles as a whole such as the Police, Ambulance and Fire Services, the Civil Service and Coast Guard. We feel honoured to have Ant as the patron for the Marine Training Corps and look forward to working with him.

Welcome to the MTC family.”

What we do in the MTC

We are open to any youngsters aged between 9 and 21 (Cadets can join 9-17), who live in a local area of a unit, and accept applications to join before the age of 9 for our waiting list.

Our cadets come from a wide range of backgrounds, united as one unit in the spirit of teamwork and mutual respect. By joining the Marine Training Corps, these young people put themselves out of their comfort zone, accepting new challenges on a daily basis whilst giving them the skills and developing their personal qualities to be able to stand head-and-shoulders above their peers.

We are constantly seeking to improve the cadet experience; looking to provide greater opportunities for our cadets to learn, develop and most importantly- have fun!

Our programme varies with the seasons to take advantage of the lighter evenings and warmer weather;

In the Winter we study First Aid, navigation and communication based subjects. We sit accredited exams which enable progress towards different levels of cadet classification.

In the Summer we tend to do more sports, military fieldcraft training, navigation exercises, initiative exercises, leadership exercises and adventurous training.

Some of our activities are described below.

Leadership

We encourage leadership development through training and practice. This is one of the best life skills to learn whilst with the MTC.

Communication

Using radios and other kit, we encourage better communication, a useful life skill.

Sport & PT

Physical fitness is important for all of us. We motivate cadets to improve personal fitness.

Drill

Drill encourages strong teamwork and communication. All cadets must be able to perform to a minimum standard.

Military Skills

Shooting teaches respect for weapons and tests their marksmanship skills. Fieldcraft is an excellent tool for testing a cadets leadership, resilience and self confidence.

The old adage ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’ is extremely apt in the MTC.

We are not a military recruiting organisation, although we can provide advice should you be interested in a career in defence in the future.

The Purpose of the MTC

To provide a disciplined organisation so that its members may develop:

Self-discipline
Responsibility
Self-reliance
Endurance
Resourcefulness
Citizenship
Perseverance
Leadership
To encourage a positive attitude to service to the community

The MTC organises its own training camps and field days during the year. These cover a wide variety of activities including obstacle courses, first aid, orienteering, patrolling, leadership and self-reliance training, sailing just to name some.

Explore the rest of our website to find out why the MTC is a youth organisation like no other. Feel free to use our contact page to get in touch and find out more.

SKILLS FOR LIFE AND ANY CAREER

There is no obligation to join a Service. The skills you can gain can help you with whatever you want to do in life.

We always seek to encourage the spirit of adventure and develop qualities of leadership and good citizenship. That includes being able to communicate clearly, work as a member of a team, enhance social skills and accept diversity.

PLEASE NOTE

Although we do have Officers and NCOs from the Armed Forces that help with the MTC, Civilian Volunteer Members of the MTC only hold their rank within the organisation, on no account should they be mistaken for His Majesty’s Armed forces. The rank structure is to maintain the discipline and Constitution in the MTC.