Where can the CCF take you?

Inspiring alumni and careers in the armed forces 

From British Army Officers to Royal Navy Lieutenants, Brigadiers, Pilots and Medical Officers, Loughborough Grammar School’s alumni have gone on to pursue a range of inspiring military careers. Despite being different pathways, all of the careers require the same set of skills – strong leadership, physical and mental resilience and a sense of courage. These skills are fostered within the exciting and rewarding environment of our Combined Cadet Force (CCF), helping to build confident young people whose potential is limitless. 

At the beginning of this year, former Loughborough Grammar pupil, Tom, returned to the campus in a Chinook helicopter, having realised his ambitions and become a Chinook Pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) since leaving school in 2016.  

Throughout his time at school, Tom was an active member of the CCF’s RAF section, experiencing RAF camps, embarking on leadership courses, fundraising, flying planes and shooting, all of which he credits as the driving force behind his decision to pursue a career in the military. This striking visual display reflects just how far our students can go and reinforces the message that no career path is out of reach. 

For Doctor and General Medical Officer, Major Tim Prescott (LGS 2011), the attraction of the military lay in a slightly unlikely combination: “I was drawn to the idea of being pushed beyond what felt comfortable – having experiences I might not otherwise encounter and continuing to test myself in unfamiliar environments. At the same time, I found real comfort in the camaraderie and sense of belonging that comes from being part of a close-knit group with shared values and responsibilities.”

Looking back, I think one of the most important things school gave me was strength of character. Through the sheer breadth of school life, I became used to putting myself forward, taking on things that stretched me and occasionally pushing a little beyond what felt comfortable or obvious. I have found myself drawing on those qualities repeatedly in both medicine and the military.

Maj Tim Prescott RAMS 

Teamwork is an essential part of each section in our CCF and is one of the most effective skills our cadets can learn for both life at school and beyond. From competing as a squad at nationally recognised competitions to the experience of Army camp or mastering everyday drills, there is no element of the CCF that doesn’t require our cadets to learn more about their peers through working together. It is this sense of investment in their team that makes so many of them really successful during their time in the CCF – and, most importantly, this element of camaraderie will become the cornerstone of their memories when they look back on this experience. 

Major Prescott reflects on how this sense of investment is echoed in the military environment: “One of the things the military does particularly well is invest in people. There is a real emphasis on personal development – not just becoming better at your job, but growing as a leader, learning how you respond under pressure and being encouraged to take responsibility beyond the confines of your profession. 

“For me, one of the best examples was having the chance to step away from medicine altogether and train at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. It was completely removed from hospital life and, in many ways, unlike anything I had done before. The experiences, challenges and lessons from that period are difficult to compare with anything I could have encountered through a conventional NHS training pathway. It developed parts of me that medicine probably never would have reached on its own. That has continued throughout my military career. Alongside clinical training, I have worked with people from very different professions and backgrounds, travelled, taken on leadership roles and operated in environments far removed from a normal hospital.” 

Through the CCF, sport and the wider life of the School, I began to understand the things I valued: challenge, working closely with others, taking responsibility and the satisfaction that comes from having a useful part to play.

Maj Tim Prescott RAMS 

At all stages of our pupils’ school journey, they are encouraged to step outside their comfort zone and try something new; the same sentiment applies to the CCF. For many of our pupils, joining the CCF unlocks a passion and a set of capabilities they didn’t realise they had. 

Major Prescott’s advice for our pupils is invaluable: “You do not have to look like the natural candidate for something before deciding to pursue it. Sometimes capability comes later, simply because you were curious enough – and occasionally bold enough – to step into the opportunity in the first place. That is probably what I would most want a pupil to hear. You do not have to wait until you feel like the obvious candidate before pursuing something that interests you. When something comes along that excites you but feels slightly beyond the person you currently think you are, don’t be too quick to decide that it belongs to somebody else.” 

Amongst our alumni, motivations for pursuing a career in the armed forces all emphasise one thing – variety. It is significant to note that even if a pupil chooses one specific pathway to begin with, there are always opportunities to broaden skill sets and discover new areas of interest. 

Major Aaron Cole left Loughborough Grammar School in 2008 and joined the British Army in 2011. When reflecting on his military career to date, he notes just how much it has developed in ways he didn’t expect from the outset: “My career has developed in ways I couldn’t have predicted when I joined. I’ve moved between operational command, specialist appointments, training and assessment, international work and organisational projects. I certainly didn’t have a plan for all of that when I was 21.” 

Over the course of his career, he has served on operations, worked alongside international military partners, and held a range of command, operational, training, and assessment appointments. He has also studied in Germany and worked on the development of new ways of operating and new military capabilities.

My decision to join the Army was influenced mainly by my family and the political climate at the time. I joined in 2011, when the UK was heavily involved in Afghanistan, and I knew that joining the Army meant I was likely to deploy there. That was part of the appeal: I wanted to do something challenging and meaningful at a time when the Army was actively involved in operations.

Major Aaron Cole (LGS 2008) 

In a message to our pupils, Major Aaron Cole said: “You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do. Make a good decision with the information you have, take opportunities when they appear and see where they lead.” 

This is a key takeaway for our cadets as they are encouraged to immerse themselves in the CCF experience as fully as possible. Whether our cadets are inspired to pursue military careers, or they use the experience of pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone to follow a broad range of career paths, our aim is to ensure they all leave the CCF with the skills and confidence to last them a lifetime.