On Wednesday 21 October 20, RLC Logistic Supply Specialist and Black, Asian and Minority Ethic (BAME) Apprenticeship Finalist Private Lovepreet Singh took part in an interview on Panjab Radio as part of a wider engagement campaign run by Headquarters Regional Command (HQ RC).
The phone-in Q&A session was the sixth programme to air on the station as part of an ongoing campaign by the British Army which seeks to raise awareness and inform the British Sikh and Punjabi communities of the diversity of the Army, its role and the breadth of opportunities it can offer.
The interview panel was made up of: Lieutenant Colonel Harriet Cairns, SO1 BAME Engagement, Warrant Officer Class 2 Sid Khan and Corporal Lucy Moiwo from the Army Engagement Team, Staff Sergeant Sohail Ashraf from Army Recruiting, Sergeant Harpreet Chauhan, an Army Nurse and RLC solider Pte Lovepreet Singh who all spent the afternoon in Panjab Radio studios, Southall answering questions from listeners about their experiences in the Army, details of the recruitment process and training and development programs.
Pte Singh of 27 Regiment RLC commented: “I was pleased to be able take part in this great opportunity and to talk to the people of my community to inspire them to join the Army. Some people in the Sikh community have concerns about joining the Army, for example if it might be difficult to continue to follow their religious beliefs, so it was good to raise awareness and to help answer questions that the community doesn’t always get the chance to ask.”
The four-month campaign, which runs from 1 Aug to 30 Nov 20, involves a total of eight live interviews on different topics, including: an introduction to the Army, the ‘lived experience’, the importance of culture, recruitment and training and Saragarhi Day. Within the British Army, recruitment from BAME communities is low and a major barrier to people joining is that often, they do not understand enough about it; what it does, where it is based, how to join or its relevance to them or their community. In order to change this, the Army wants to be more visible and to be able to demonstrate the opportunities it can offer and its relevance to all the communities it defends.
As the UK’s biggest dedicated Punjabi radio station, Panjab Radio celebrates British Panjabi life, culture, tradition and music. It promotes itself as an ‘agent of cohesion through which all Asians can unite and flourish’. With listeners from a wide range of age groups regularly tuning in, running the campaign on this platform offers the Army the chance to inform the station’s audience of the range, depth and diversity of opportunities available.
Lt Col Cairns, SO1 BAME Engagement added: “The intent for the series of shows on Panjab Radio is to run an Army inform and understand campaign in order to inspire the target audiences – whether that is those personnel within the age range to join the service or their gatekeepers.”
For more information and to listen to the live shows running until the end of November, visit the Panjab Radio Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/panjabradio or visit the radio’s website: http://www.panjabradio.co.uk/
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