Mines Awareness Trust

THE MINES AWARENESS TRUST

Mike Trant

EOD FTA Level 2

In August and September 2008, I completed the Field Technical Advisors Course and the EOD Level 3 course run by the Mines Awareness Trust (MAT) at the International Mine Action Training Centre (IMATC) in Nairobi, Kenya.

I spent 15 years in the Irish Defence Force and, though I had experience of handling and using explosives, I needed a recognised International Mine Action Standard qualification in order to start applying for work in Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA).

The FTA and EOD courses both interested and challenged me. The course content was a lot more involved and detailed than I had originally anticipated. The knowledge gained on the two courses has proved invaluable to me in my new found career.

My instructors, Phillip James and Jim Vernon, have had years experience in operational HMA, EOD and De-mining instruction.

They are both excellent teachers, committed to providing all students with a high skill which enables one to seek employment in HMA.

Training aids and practice grounds at the IMATC contributed greatly to our ability to absorb all the information in a relatively short space of time.
Within two weeks of qualifying in both the FTA and EOD course, I had found a job in HMA.

I am now working as an EOD Field Technical Advisor for Danish Demining Group (DDG) in Uganda. I supervise twelve EOD teams spread out across the north of the country clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO), explosive remnants of war (ERW) and mines.

This is a position I could never have aspired to if I had not gained the internationally recognised and respected qualifications that I received at Mines Awareness Trust

Mick Trant
Field Technical Advisor
Danish Demining Group
Gulu
Uganda
16 October 2008