Combat Engineers

[PanaEng]

Welcome to the Branch.
Good luck in your courses.

Chimo!

 

[Nfld Sapper]

The course is offically 92 days long...... which makes it a little over 18 weeks

 

[Army_Bassist]

On course right now :nod: Harder than bmq/sq for sure. There are nine mods that you go through, each two weeks long. The course is thus around 18 weeks. Be prepared to carry your ruck everywhere you go and the joy of shuffling.

Whats the longest ruck march you've been on so far? How many mods does it take to receive your cap badge and hook? I'm envious of all my armoured friends who have a ridiculously easy dp1 which all they do is classroom stuff and driving Mercedes G wagons. and its only 4 weeks long and they get there hook and capbadge... Also how is the learning curve is it really difficult to learn all things about building bridges, water purification, and IEDs?

 

[Young.Alex]

Thats good i like the challenge

 

[Pieman]

The course is all about exposure to everything combat engineering. You get exposed to the basics of everything, from explosives, bridge building, using rafts, etc. etc. So don't worry about the learning aspect too much, it is not hard. Just pay attention and study when you need to.

The hardest tests are in the mine class, where you have to memorize the names and classifications of various anti-tank mines, and then memorize various names and classifications of various ordinances. A couple hours flipping flash cards are you are good to go.

Like I said, it is all exposure. So by the end of your course you are not qualified to do anything on your own. It is disappointing to show up to regiment and find that you are not very useful to them becuase you are not qualified to do anything that is really useful to the regiment. (driver qualified etc.)

After going through it, I always felt the QL3 course should focus more on the important skill sets that will allow you to function within a regiment. The way it is now, you get a brief exposure to everything, but leaves you with very little capabilities. That is my 2 cents anyway.

However, after some time in the regiment you will start doing more, the more qualifications you get your hands on.

 

[kratz]

Change the name from Combat Engineer to many other trade names and immediately after their QL3, the experience is the same. I know after one course I completed, I felt like an absolute fraud and was not comfortable with those skills when they were called upon. Time and using the skills have changed that feeling. IMO, if my training had of focused on immediate use skills, I would not be as prepared to have faced many of the unexpected challenges my trade offers.

I am not a Combat Engineer, but I agree with your assessment that the more you work in your trade you grow into the skills your trades training provide.

 

[Kat Stevens]

The course is all about exposure to everything combat engineering. You get exposed to the basics of everything, from explosives, bridge building, using rafts, etc. etc. So don't worry about the learning aspect too much, it is not hard. Just pay attention and study when you need to.

The hardest tests are in the mine class, where you have to memorize the names and classifications of various anti-tank mines, and then memorize various names and classifications of various ordinances. A couple hours flipping flash cards are you are good to go.

Like I said, it is all exposure. So by the end of your course you are not qualified to do anything on your own. It is disappointing to show up to regiment and find that you are not very useful to them becuase you are not qualified to do anything that is really useful to the regiment. (driver qualified etc.)

After going through it, I always felt the QL3 course should focus more on the important skill sets that will allow you to function within a regiment. The way it is now, you get a brief exposure to everything, but leaves you with very little capabilities. That is my 2 cents anyway.

However, after some time in the regiment you will start doing more, the more qualifications you get your hands on.

As a QL3 qualified Sapper you do have the required skills for an entry level soldier;  you can lift heavy things and put them where people more qualified tell you to.

 

[George Wallace]

Whats the longest ruck march you've been on so far? How many mods does it take to receive your cap badge and hook? I'm envious of all my armoured friends who have a ridiculously easy dp1 which all they do is classroom stuff and driving Mercedes G wagons. and its only 4 weeks long and they get there hook and capbadge... Also how is the learning curve is it really difficult to learn all things about building bridges, water purification, and IEDs?

First point:  Your knowledge of what other Trades have to learn is obviously NIL.

Second point:  As a Reserve Engineer, you aren't much better off than those Reserve Armour guys you just posted about.  You aren't going to get all the classes that your Reg Force counterpart is getting.

 

[Army_Bassist]

First point:  Your knowledge of what other Trades have to learn is obviously NIL.

Second point:  As a Reserve Engineer, you aren't much better off than those Reserve Armour guys you just posted about.  You aren't going to get all the classes that your Reg Force counterpart is getting.

I'm just going by what people in my basic said during their Dp1. 95% of the people I did my basic with were armoured soldiers. A majority went on to their dp1 during the summer and what I said earlier is pretty much word for word what they told me they learned about. They say theirs minimal C0ck from your instructors, lots of classroom lectures, minimal PT, and most of the time your learning how to drive G wagons. 

 

[George Wallace]

I'm just going by what people in my basic said during their Dp1. 95% of the people I did my basic with were armoured soldiers. A majority went on to their dp1 during the summer and what I said earlier is pretty much word for word what they told me they learned about. They say theirs minimal C0ck from your instructors, lots of classroom lectures, minimal PT, and most of the time your learning how to drive G wagons.

And what did you do?  Lots of classrooms?  Most of your time learning on how to do some Engineer type jobs?  They're there to learn Comms, Voice Procedure, Tactics, and Driving.  You are there to learn some totally different things.  Their Crse is totally different from yours.  You know; like apples and oranges.

 

[Pieman]

As a QL3 qualified Sapper you do have the required skills for an entry level soldier;  you can lift heavy things and put them where people more qualified tell you to.

Yup. I am just saying I think it would be effective to come out of the QL3 with some qualifications that are more useful to the regiment.  Many show up and have to be pumped through yet more courses that I suspect could be incorporated into a QL3. I saw a lot of new people sitting in the cage and doing nothing all day, except sweep the floor, until they got some useful quals.

 

[Kat Stevens]

And if any of those guys just sitting in the cage went to their section commander and told him they had nothing to do, I'm sure he'd be happy to find them something.  QL3 is not designed to make you a fully qualified Combat Engineer, any more than a first year apprentice is fully qualified in his trade.  QL3 makes you familiar with the duties of a section member, the regiment will turn you into one.

 

[Kevin_M]

I did the reserve QL3 this summer which is 12 weeks long (added an extra mod making it 14 weeks now). It is defiently more difficult then BMQ/SQ. Expect to do a lot of pushups and pull ups and lots of rucking. Early mornings and late nights. You should enjoy it but hate it at the same time. Hesco and sand bag filling by hand creates great team work.

12 weeks of mod tents *shudder

 

[Army_Bassist]

I did the reserve QL3 this summer which is 12 weeks long (added an extra mod making it 14 weeks now). It is defiently more difficult then BMQ/SQ. Expect to do a lot of pushups and pull ups and lots of rucking. Early mornings and late nights. You should enjoy it but hate it at the same time. Hesco and sand bag filling by hand creates great team work.

12 weeks of mod tents *shudder

Thanks for the post, very informative! Were there any concepts really hard to learn during the course? Any math in particular I should prepare myself in before taking it? After the full 12 weeks you earn your hook? I'm gonna slowly build up to be doing the bft once a week to get ready.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

You get your hook when you get back to your unit and generally after you have completed the first 3 mods.

 

[Kevin_M]

With the reserve course you don't need to be that great with math, I'm not sure about the Reg course. We did spend a few days reviewing math. I suck at math but they start right from the basics so you learn, they don't expect you to be an expert. On your 5's expect a lot of math.

As was said generally the reserve course is split in to two summers, 6 weeks each. You get your hook after completing the 6 weeks. They usually offer a 12 week course each summer like I did, however you won't get your hook after completing the 6 weeks but you will feel great knowing you won't have to come back to gagetown to live in tents for 6 more weeks.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

With the reserve course you don't need to be that great with math, I'm not sure about the Reg course. We did spend a few days reviewing math. I suck at math but they start right from the basics so you learn, they don't expect you to be an expert. On your 5's expect a lot of math.

As was said generally the reserve course is split in to two summers, 6 weeks each. You get your hook after completing the 6 weeks. They usually offer a 12 week course each summer like I did, however you won't get your hook after completing the 6 weeks but you will feel great knowing you won't have to come back to gagetown to live in tents for 6 more weeks.

You will be in tents for all parts of the Section Member Courses.

 

[Army_Bassist]

With the reserve course you don't need to be that great with math, I'm not sure about the Reg course. We did spend a few days reviewing math. I suck at math but they start right from the basics so you learn, they don't expect you to be an expert. On your 5's expect a lot of math.

As was said generally the reserve course is split in to two summers, 6 weeks each. You get your hook after completing the 6 weeks. They usually offer a 12 week course each summer like I did, however you won't get your hook after completing the 6 weeks but you will feel great knowing you won't have to come back to gagetown to live in tents for 6 more weeks.

Thanks for the post again (mad reps) which unit are you apart of? Can't wait for the course.

 

[Kevin_M]

You will be in tents for all parts of the Section Member Courses.

Yes, I what I was implying was if you finish it all at once when you come back next summer you will be in shacks for your 2IC course.

Thanks for the post again (mad reps) which unit are you apart of? Can't wait for the course.

31 FES (Fort Garry Horse) in Winnipeg.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Hold on a sec,  you go from QL3 sprog to a qualified section 2I/C  in a year?  Holy crap.