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Visit to Whitehall and Parliament (December 2011)
![Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)](javascript:PopupPic("/military/images/desgmodvisit.jpg");)
On Monday 5th December 2011 the L6 DESG students awoke bright and early to head to London where we would participate in a tour of MOD main building Whitehall to meet the Minister Rt Hon Andrew Robathan and visit the Houses of Parliament and House of Lords.
We started with a tour of the MOD main building and the ground floor which impressed us all with its grandeur and high technology. We were then led into the extremely well preserved Henry VIII wine cellar which offered a complete contrast to the state of the art technology that we had just been guided around on the ground floor.
We followed this by gathering in a historic room where all the DESG students were treated to an excellent presentation by Emily Sharp (an ex-Welbexian) about the details of the DESG scheme which we all found thoroughly insightful.
By this time we were fast approaching our scheduled meeting with the Minister so we headed up to the first floor and his office. Here we had a brilliant discussion with the Minister about what it meant to work in the MOD and what the lifestyle was like. All questions were of a very high quality and we made the most of our thirty minutes with such an important man.
A particular highlight for all of us was meeting the Chief of the Defence Staff as we roamed the first floor and seeing the Secretary of State and also the Permanent Secretary for Defence - moments I'm sure we won't forget any time soon!
Following this we were treated to another presentation made by Duncan Scriven (again an ex-Welbexian) who gave us an even more in-depth talk on our future careers and answered our questions to our complete satisfaction.
Following lunch we made our way to Portcullis House to begin our tour of the Houses of Parliament. Whilst inside, and waiting for the tour to begin, we were shocked to see both Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan! Once the girls' obvious excitement had died down a little we made our way to the Houses of Parliament.
Once inside we were given a very insightful tour and had the opportunity to watch the Speakers' Procession. It was interesting to witness just how much tradition still remained within the building and how little had changed. We then continued into the House of Lords and House of Commons and listened to a short amount of a debate in each House.
Our tour was followed by a workshop on 'Making Laws'. This allowed us to learn about the process that goes on every time a new law is considered. We were divided into political parties and had to compete against each other in proposing new laws and gaining the most correct answers on a related quiz. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all students, with one even considering himself as a David Cameron impersonator!
The day as a whole was an insightful and interesting one. All of the students gained a lot from it and are now looking forward to their future careers within the DESG with even more enthusiasm. A huge thank you to Mr Gillman for his continued support and involvment with this Whitehall trip. Furthermore we'd like to thank Kevin Conway for arranging our two guest speakers, Emily Sharp and Duncan Scriven, both of whom gave excellent presentations. We'd also like to express our gratitude to Mr Crookes for arranging the trip and the Adjutant and Mr Jess for accompanying us.
Poppy Brooks, Stirling 11E and Lewis Beresford, Nelson 11E
