Manchester and Salford Universities
Officer Training Corps

Take The Challenge

An introduction from the Commanding Officer

Welcome to the Manchester and Salford Universities Officers’ Training Corps (MSUOTC) website. I am Lieutenant Colonel Suzanne Anderson, the current Commanding Officer of MSUOTC. I hope you find this website useful and informative. Whether you have happened across this website by chance or whether you have actively sought it out with a view to joining, the information on this site should give you an insight into what we do, what benefit joining MSUOTC brings, and how to get involved.

MSUOTC is one of 19 Officers’ Training Corps attached to Universities across the country. Here in Manchester we can trace our origins back to the Manchester Regiment, and if you have a look at our history page you will be able to find out a great deal more about how we were formed. Today, we have very close links with the three Universities we are associated with: Manchester University, Manchester Metropolitan University and Salford University.

So, what do we do here? Well, for a start we are here solely to offer leadership development training to students from the Universities we are associated with. Of course, we deliver this through putting you through your paces in a military environment, but the emphasis is most definitely on development, challenge and fun. In your first year you will be introduced to military training and learn about the theory and practice of leadership. By the time you finish your first year with us you will have gained the first level of the Military Leadership Development award; in your second year you will continue with part two of this award but by this point you will also be expected to assist with organising events and training and will be given specific opportunities to put your leadership skills to practice. By the time you reach your third year you will have the chance to take on an instructional role training the first and second year members, or to take up a position of responsibility on our Mess Committee responsible for planning and organising social events.

You will also take part in a range of sports, social and adventurous training activities. Last year we launched an expedition to India where a number of our members were involved in a community project to provide prosthetic limbs at a school there. This year we sent a team to South Africa to take part in the Swartzkopf Challenge Gun Pull and conduct a battlefield tour and some community work. We take a ski trip to Tignes each year and there are frequent opportunities to get involved in some of the less distant adventure training trips such as climbing Scafell Pike or Snowdon; learning to kayak or rock climb, or gain a leader’s certificate in mountain walking.

On the social side, we are probably one of the best student clubs in town! We have our own bar which is open after training on a Wednesday. Our members also organise many parties, both formal and informal throughout the year. A couple of highlights include the formal Regimental Dinner Night each November and the annual Ball in the Spring.

I hope that gives you a flavour of what we are about. I must emphasise that the focus is on challenging training in a very social and fun environment; and above all we are definitely not a recruiting agency for the Army – the fact is that many of our Officer Cadets decide that they want to join either the Regular or Territorial Army after their time with us because they have become aware of the fantastic career opportunities available. I know, I was once that Officer Cadet!

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