Infantry Training Centre

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Infantry Training Centre Catterick
Shield of the Infantry
Active	1995-Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Training
Role	Infantry Training
Size	Four battalions
Part of	Army Recruiting and Training Division
Garrison/HQ	Catterick
Commanders
Director of Infantry	Brigadier R L Scott-Bowden MBE ADC

The Infantry Training Centre (ITC) is a unit of the British Army administered by HQ School of Infantry responsible for both basic and advanced training of soldiers joining the infantry. The ITC has three main locations.

1 ITC Catterick
2 ITC Brecon
3 ITC Warminster
4 Combat Infantryman's Course
5 Courses
6 Annual courses
7 Phase Three Training

[edit] ITC Catterick

ITC Catterick is the primary training location of the ITC, where the Combat Infantryman's Course (CIC) is conducted. The CIC combines Phase 1 and Phase 2 infantry training, (although junior soldiers destined for the infantry continue to receive Phase 1 training at Bassingbourn Army Training Regiment and at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate). ITC Catterick is divided into four battalions.

1st Battalion, Infantry Training Centre - the 1st Battalion is responsible for training soldiers destined to join the regiments of the Queen's Division, Prince of Wales' Division, the Royal Irish Regiment and The Rifles, and has three training companies:
- Queen's Division Company
- Prince of Wales's Division Company
- Rifles Training Company
2nd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre - the 2nd Battalion is responsible for training soldiers who will join one of the regiments of the King's Division, or the Royal Regiment of Scotland. It is also responsible for training junior soldiers from ATR Bassingbourn and TA Infantrymen. The 2nd Battalion has three training companies:
- King's Division Company
- Scots Division Company
- Somme Company
3rd Battalion, Infantry Training Centre - the 3rd Battalion has responsibility for training infantry who will join one of the regiments of the Guards Division, the Parachute Regiment or the Brigade of Gurkhas. In addition, the 3rd Battalion provides training for the army's airborne role through its 'P' Company courses. The 3rd Battalion has three training companies:
- Guards Division Company
- Parachute Regiment Training Company
- Gurkha Company
4th Battalion, Infantry Training Centre - the 4th Battalion is the ITC Catterick's primary support unit, dealing with logistic and medical support. It also serves as the parent unit for those soldiers who are undergoing rehabilitation from injury, or who are in the process of being discharged. However, the 4th Battalion also has a training role, with responsibility for some specialist training on the CIC (such as signalling), and for the ceremonial aspects of infantry duties. The 4th Battalion has three companies, and two independent schools under its command:
- HQ Company
- Hook VC Company (discharged soldiers)
- Williams Company (rehabilitation)
- Army School of Ceremonial
- Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming

[edit] ITC Brecon

ITC Brecon is the location of the Infantry Battle School (IBS), which conducts realistic battle training for officers who have passed out of Sandhurst, and for Warrant Officers, SNCOs and JNCOs. This encompasses Phase 2 training for officers (who do not attend the ITC Catterick, but undergo their Phase 1 training at Sandhurst) and Phase 3 training for NCOs and Warrant Officers. The IBS has a permanent military staff of approximately 250, including a company drawn from the Brigade of Gurkhas which provides realistic opposition for those undergoing training at Brecon.

[edit] ITC Warminster

ITC Warminster is the Support Weapons School, which has responsibility for training officers, NCOs and soldiers in the use of support weapons, including mortars, ATW and direct fire weapons, and in communications skills conducts Phase 3 courses for infantry officers and soldiers.

[edit] Combat Infantryman's Course

The CIC is the standard framework course on which all infantry training in the British Army is based. The standard course lasts 24 weeks, in which the basics of infantry solidering are taught:

Drill
Fieldcraft
Skill-at-Arms
First aid

For the majority of recruits, who have chosen to join a line infantry or rifles regiment, once the standard 24 week course is over they will join their battalion. Some infantry regiments require a degree of further specialist training, and will therefore undertake a longer CIC:

Foot Guards - recruits joining one of the regiments of Foot Guards undertake a two week enhanced drill course as part of the CIC, due to the stringent drill required of the public duties they will undertake. The CIC for Foot Guards therefore lasts 26 weeks.
Parachute Regiment - recruits joining the Parachute Regiment undertake a two week Pre-Parachute Selection (PPS) course during their CIC to determine their suitability for parachute operations, which must be passed before the recruit can progress further. The CIC for the Parachute Regiment therefore lasts 26 weeks.
Brigade of Gurkhas - all new recruits to the Brigade of Gurkhas undertake the Gurkha CIC, regardless of whether they will join the infantry or one of the Gurkha support units. Gurkha recruits undertake a 39 week course which comprises the Common Military Syllabus (Recruits) (CMS(R)) taught at the Army Training Regiments and the CIC. The Gurkha CIC also includes special courses in English and British culture.