Weekend BMQ Questions for those in the know

[Stirling N6123]

A question I am asking for a friend regarding joining the Reserves, and doing a weekend basic training coarse.

Does every Reserve unit give you the option for weekend BMQ? If Not, Is it only done in the summer? And how much time would be needed off work? I have read two months on some threads (8 weeks) to 21 days.

Essentially, my friend has a family, is 31, a full time job, and is very interested in joining the Prince Edward and Hastings Regiment in Belleville Ontario. He has not called the recruiter yet. That is for this week. Wanted to pose these questions on the boards.

Cheers.

 

[D-n-A]

I can't say for others but in my brigade theres usually a weekend BMQ run during the fall/winter or winter/spring. In the summer there isn't weekend BMQ, its all full time ones where you go away for a month. The weekend BMQ is usually 2 weekends a month. Usually they start on the friday night an go till sunday afternoon.

 

[Munner]

I just finished my last weekend of BMQ this weekend. You can do your BMQ on weekends (10 weekends) throughout the year and then your SQ/BIQ during the summer.

I believe they also offer BMQ/SQ combination in the summer but you have to wait until the following summer to do your BIQ or course for your trade. I'm not 100% sure of this though.

My course started in January and ended this weekend. 10 weekends in total.

 

[Redeye]

First off, it's "the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment", not the other way around.  We participate in a Battle School weekend BMQ program - there is a course starting in September, I believe.  That means he can get his BMQ out of the way in 10 weekends, basically.  The courses at present run out of the 401 Training Group Battle School at CFB Kingston, there is a serial just ending now.

That's only BMQ though - there is SQ and BIQ to content with, and they cannot be done as weekend courses, they're generally conducted during the summer - BMQ graduates from the weekend course proceed directly to SQ and BIQ this summer.

He can go talk to WO Aleman (the HAST & PER recruiter) about exactly what the process is - then he can get all the details on timings, course dates, etc (I'm no expert).  His best bet is to start the process as soon as possible and approach his employer about a leave of absence to allow him to take the courses.  They are given fairly commonly, depending on the employer, and WO Aleman can probably offer some advice on how to approach his boss.

PARATUS!

A question I am asking for a friend regarding joining the Reserves, and doing a weekend basic training coarse.

Does every Reserve unit give you the option for weekend BMQ? If Not, Is it only done in the summer? And how much time would be needed off work? I have read two months on some threads (8 weeks) to 21 days.

Essentially, my friend has a family, is 31, a full time job, and is very interested in joining the Prince Edward and Hastings Regiment in Belleville Ontario. He has not called the recruiter yet. That is for this week. Wanted to pose these questions on the boards.

Cheers.

 

[Pikache]

That's only BMQ though - there is SQ and BIQ to content with, and they cannot be done as weekend courses, they're generally conducted during the summer - BMQ graduates from the weekend course proceed directly to SQ and BIQ this summer.

SQ has been offered as weekend course for two years in winter in 31 CBG. So yeah, it can be done.

 

[Redeye]

SQ has been offered as weekend course for two years in winter in 31 CBG. So yeah, it can be done.

Even with SQ on weekends, you need a trades course, and there are (as far as I have heard) no plans to offer any on weekends... think about it, how can you properly demonstrate sleep deprivation in a weekend.  To move BIQ to a weekend course would be a disasterous watering down...

 

[Stirling N6123]

Thanks Folks. Appreciate the informatiom, I will pass it along. And thanks Redeye for the contact information.

 

[Redeye]

Thanks Folks. Appreciate the informatiom, I will pass it along. And thanks Redeye for the contact information.

You're welcome.  Depending on your friend's level of education and interests, he may also want to consider the officer route - he can do BMQ/BMOQ on weekends, then the training can be broken into two week blocks over a few years, it takes more time that way to become qualified, but it can be done.  There has also been some discussion (though I don't know how serious) about decentralizing some of the training blocks from Gagetown to Areas (and then to their Brigade Groups, potentially), with a view to running some of the training at more local levels.  No idea how that will turn out.  33CBG is running a battle school model as something of a prototype, and it's being assessed as an effective means of delivering training by pooling individual unit budgets and resources to run courses - though as yet it is only being used for NCM courses.

Anyhow, tell your friend to go and meet WO Aleman and get the real details, as the unit recruiter he is the SME (subject matter expert) on how to join, time needed, etc.