News & Events

News & Events / A ‘Beacon of Light’ for new Learners at MPCT Sunderland

A ‘Beacon of Light’ for new Learners at MPCT Sunderland

An increase in the number of Learners has led MPCT South Shields on a march to a bigger venue.

The Military Preparation College at South Shields – one of 35 across the UK – has moved from its base within South Tyneside College to Sunderland’s Beacon of Light, at Stadium Way, Monkwearmouth.

And staff say the move to the £19m sports, community and education centre will not only expand its facilities but also help it meet rising demand for places.

The college, which is one of four in the North East, supports 16 to 19-year-olds, of all abilities and from all backgrounds, into a wide range of careers, both within the military and in civilian life.

These include academic, functional and health and fitness courses along with training in physical fitness, public speaking and communication.

And they are unique in that all their instructors are ex-British Armed Forces personnel, who use their military backgrounds to help learners set and reach the targets that will progress them to their chosen careers.

North East Regional Operations Manager and former Sandhurst instructor, Ronnie Corbett, said the move is great news for the region.

“The North East has a long and very proud tradition of Armed Service and that is still the case,” he said.

“As public awareness of the vast number of careers available within the military has grown, we have seen a significant increase in enquiries from young people.

“And not only will the Beacon of Light enable us to increase our intake to 75 recruits, but with that extra space come fantastic facilities, shared values and a very strong community network,” he added.

He also thanked South Tyneside College,

“which was a great base for us and a very successful launch pad for where we are now.”

Since our launch in 1999 we have prepared more than 4000 young people for a military career and helped at least a further 12,000 into other areas of employment and training.

Back to news articles

Graduation & Open Day Celebration.

Join your local MPCT Academy for an exciting day of Celebration! MPCT are hosting an awards ceremony on the 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟬𝟵:𝟰𝟱-𝟭𝟯:𝟬𝟬 to celebrate our learners successes and achievements. *Some academy open day celebration dates & times differ – please see detail on booking form or letters that have been sent home. Alongside this we...

Read more

Secretary Of State for Wales Revisits His Old Training Barracks to Experience Today’s Training for Future Soldiers

Today, Welsh Secretary, David TC Davies visited the MPCT Newport Academy to gain an insight into the alternative educational opportunities for adults and young people in Wales. Revisiting his former training barracks, the Welsh Secretary was keen to see how MPCT used the facilities to train the next generation of soldiers and individuals in the...

Read more

MPCT 10 Mile Log Run

This October our academies will be taking part in a 10 mile run with all proceeds going to Motivation & Learning Trust. For our main charity fundraising event for the Motivation & Learning Trust (MLT) we will be celebrating the 10th year of our very own MLT. The MLT over the last 10 years has...

Read more

NATIONAL FITNESS DAY – WED 20 SEPTEMBER

Join us on National Fitness Day, where we will hold events throughout all our academies on Wednesday, September 20th! MPCT prides itself on community engagement as we ‘Create Better Citizens’ through our Preparation for Military Service and Uniformed Service qualifications. To give back to the community, we will be delivering a free military-themed fitness session...

Read more

ENROLMENT DAYS

We still have limited spaces to pop along to our enrolment days which will be taking place at your local MPCT – find your nearest here. We will be holding enrolment days right up until the 27th October, they will be every Friday at 1300hrs. Learners will be able to visit the centre, meet the...

Read more

MPCT AUGUST OPEN DAYS

Pop along to one of our upcoming open events this August and find out about our unique training programme devised for those looking to start their military career. You’ll have a chance to meet the team and also young people like you currently studying with us. Develop fitness, gain a vocational qualification and prepare for...

Read more