Blog 1

Nathan Davis from Bournemouth, Dorset had a military career in Iraq until the year 2007, when he had to leave his job as a soldier due to an eyesight problem. Nathan joined an internship program called, SkillForce. SkillForce is a program for long-term sick military workers. Nathan, along with other instructors, spend one day a week with students ranging from ages 13 to 19, to assist them in gaining qualifications to improve their chances of further education or employment before they are finished with school. This program works with 150 schools across England and Wales. The teenagers who are in SkillForce spend up to two years with these instructors, potentially spending 20 percent of their schooling with the SkillForce program. Nathan Davis is 22 years old, and can relate to the experiences of his students in school. He has always had an interest in teaching, but he has never seen himself doing something like this full-time. As of right now, Nathan Davis is working with high school juniors.

This article is encouraging because, it shows former soldiers who are injured, that there is another way they can serve. The SkillForce program can change not only the lives of the instructors, but also the lives of these teenagers who are in this program. By reading this article, I can see that this program is beneficial because, these former military personnel are helping teenagers further their education and find a job that they are interested in. The former soldiers who are interning at SkillForce know what the real world is like, and have had experience in real world situations. They can use what they know to assist the teenagers who are a part of this program. This gives former injured soldiers a chance to be a vital instrument to teenagers. It also helps students gain a better understanding of education and employment from another perspective, besides their parents and teachers at school. This program builds self-confidence into students and encourages them to keep going when they are finished with school. I think that the United States should definitely start a program like this. According to this article, SkillForce has given 95 percent of its graduates a recognized qualification and 60 percent of these students go on to further their education.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-16598127