Infantry Training Centre

The Infantry Training Centre (ITC), commonly known as ITC Catterick, is a British Army training establishment headquartered at Catterick in North Yorkshire. Administered by the Army's School of Infantry, it provides the principal entry and specialist training pathway for personnel joining the British Army's infantry. Its responsibilities cover the integrated basic and trade-specific preparation of most Regular Army infantry recruits, together with selected training for junior entrants, Army Reserve infantry personnel, Gurkha recruits, Guards soldiers and Parachute Regiment candidates. The centre became the single organisation responsible for infantry Phase 2 training on 1 May 1995, taking over overall responsibility from infantry training battalions based at Catterick, Strensall and Ouston. In May 2002, it assumed responsibility for both Phase 1 basic training and Phase 2 infantry training for the Regular Army through a single Combat Infantryman's Course. The course was later renamed the Combat Infantry Course to reflect the inclusion of female recruits. This consolidation distinguished infantry training from the two-stage model generally used for other Army occupations, in which basic military training and occupational training are delivered separately. For standard entrants aged at least 17 years and six months, the Combat Infantry Course combines foundational soldier training with infantry-specific instruction. The basic course lasts 26 weeks and covers personal administration, weapons training, drill, fieldcraft, physical fitness and teamwork. Training is designed to develop the practical, physical and behavioural foundations required for service in an infantry regiment. Junior entrants who join the Army from age 16 receive their initial Phase 1 training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate before moving to ITC for infantry Phase 2 instruction. The centre also delivers modified or extended programmes for particular infantry formations. Foot Guards recruits undertake a two-week extension that places additional emphasis on drill and preparation for regular ceremonial and public duties. Parachute Regiment recruits complete a similarly extended course, with additional physical conditioning and assessment through Pegasus Company. The reported assessment programme includes demanding events such as a 20-mile endurance march and milling, a strenuous close-contact test derived from boxing. Gurkha recruits undertake a 37-week programme that combines the Combat Infantry Course with English-language instruction and cultural orientation intended to support service in the United Kingdom. ITC Catterick is organised into three battalions. The 1st Infantry Training Battalion trains personnel destined for regiments associated with the Queen's Division, The Rifles, the King's Division and the Scottish, Welsh and Irish divisions. The 2nd Infantry Training Battalion trains recruits for the Guards Division, the Parachute Regiment and the Brigade of Gurkhas; it also handles Phase 2 training for junior entrants from the Army Foundation College and training for infantry elements of the Army Reserve. The ITC Support Battalion provides the establishment's logistics, medical, administrative and wider institutional support. Its functions include ceremonial training, musical instruction, physical training, support for discharged soldiers and coordination of specialist support units. The ITC is not a consumer-facing commercial brand. Its identity is institutional and service-oriented, representing a central British Army capability for preparing infantry personnel for regimental service. Its public-facing materials primarily explain its role, organisation and training responsibilities rather than market products or services. The centre's continuing purpose is to provide a common professional foundation while adapting elements of training to the operational and ceremonial requirements of different infantry formations.

The Infantry Training Centre is the British Army's central establishment for the initial and advanced training of infantry personnel. Its present role developed through the consolidation of training functions that had previously been distributed among several infantry training battalions and locations. The centre is based at Catterick in North Yorkshire and operates under the Army's School of Infantry. A significant organisational change occurred on 1 May 1995, when ITC Catterick assumed overall responsibility for infantry Phase 2 training from three Infantry Training Battalion sites at Catterick, Strensall and Ouston. Phase 2 represents the occupational or trade-specific element of Army preparation, in this case the instruction required for service as an infantry soldier. The change placed this part of infantry training under a more unified institutional structure. In May 2002, the centre took on full responsibility for Regular Army infantry Phase 1 and Phase 2 training through a single Combat Infantryman's Course. Rather than separating basic military training from infantry trade training, the course created a combined route for standard entrants. It was subsequently renamed the Combat Infantry Course to acknowledge the inclusion of female recruits. The arrangement differs from the training model used for many other Army roles, where recruits normally complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 as separate stages. The basic Combat Infantry Course lasts 26 weeks. Its curriculum includes personal administration, weapons training, drill, fieldcraft, physical fitness and teamwork. These subjects provide recruits with core military habits and the practical skills needed for entry into infantry regiments. Junior entrants follow a different sequence: after completing Phase 1 at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, they join ITC for their infantry Phase 2 training. The centre's training is structured around the destination and requirements of different formations. The 1st Infantry Training Battalion is responsible for recruits assigned to the Queen's Division, The Rifles, the King's Division and the Scottish, Welsh and Irish divisions. The 2nd Infantry Training Battalion covers recruits for the Guards Division, the Parachute Regiment and the Brigade of Gurkhas. It also provides infantry Phase 2 training for junior entrants and training for infantry elements of the Army Reserve. Some courses extend beyond the basic 26-week programme. Foot Guards recruits receive additional drill training connected with ceremonial and regular public duties. Parachute Regiment recruits receive extra physical preparation and undertake assessments through Pegasus Company, including an endurance march and milling. Gurkha recruits complete a 37-week programme that incorporates the Combat Infantry Course with English-language training and cultural orientation for service in Britain. The ITC Support Battalion provides the infrastructure that allows the training battalions to operate. Its responsibilities include headquarters and administrative functions, medical and logistical support, physical training facilities, ceremonial instruction, military music education and support for discharged soldiers. The support structure also includes the Army School of Ceremonial, the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, the Quartermaster's Department, G7 Training and 400 Troop of the Royal Logistic Corps. The centre therefore represents an institutional consolidation of British Army infantry preparation rather than a commercial brand. Its importance lies in standardising the initial professional formation of infantry personnel while retaining distinct pathways for Guards, airborne, Gurkha, Reserve and junior-entry recruits.

• 2002

  Full Regular Army infantry training responsibility

  [1]Infantry Training Centre (British Army)en.wikipedia.org

  In May 2002, the centre assumed full control of Regular Army infantry Phase 1 and Phase 2 training through a single Combat Infantryman's Course.

• 1995

  Centralisation of infantry Phase 2 training

  [1]Infantry Training Centre (British Army)en.wikipedia.org

  On 1 May 1995, ITC Catterick assumed overall responsibility for infantry Phase 2 training from Infantry Training Battalion sites at Catterick, Strensall and Ouston.

• Renaming of the Combat Infantry Course

  [1]Infantry Training Centre (British Army)en.wikipedia.org

  The course was later renamed the Combat Infantry Course to reflect the inclusion of female recruits.

A central British Army institution for integrated infantry recruit and soldier training, combining basic military instruction with infantry-specific skills and formation-oriented preparation.

• Infantry recruit training

  Combat Infantry Course

  The principal integrated training route for standard infantry entrants aged 17 years and six months or older. The basic course lasts 26 weeks and combines foundational military instruction with infantry-specific preparation. Subjects include personal administration, weapons training, drill, fieldcraft, fitness and teamwork. The course serves as the common foundation before recruits join their infantry regiments.

• Ceremonial infantry training

  Extended Foot Guards training

  An extended version of the Combat Infantry Course for new Foot Guards recruits. The programme adds two weeks, with particular emphasis on drill and preparation for the regular public duties and ceremonial responsibilities associated with the Foot Guards.

• Airborne infantry preparation

  Extended Parachute Regiment training

  An extended infantry training programme for recruits destined for the Parachute Regiment. In addition to the standard course, it includes further physical conditioning and demanding assessments through Pegasus Company, including a long-distance endurance march and milling.

• Gurkha infantry training

  Gurkha recruit training

  A 37-week programme for new Gurkha recruits. It combines the Combat Infantry Course with English-language instruction and cultural orientation intended to prepare recruits for military service and life in the United Kingdom.

1. 1Infantry Training Centre (British Army)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Infantry Training Centre Catterickarmy.mod.uk