Under the Serco contract, training is being provided to help support the British Army in their preparations prior to deployment on operations including to Afghanistan. The contract, Contemporary Operating Environment Force (COEFOR), covers the delivery of essential language, culture and operational environment skills.

 
Mabway, the other subcontractor, provides the language and cultural awareness training, including the provision of role players to act as local Afghanis, while Amputees in Action is responsible for the casualty simulations.
 
To meet the contract’s requirements, Amputees in Action will be drawing on its pool of over 80 experienced role-playing actors and special effects artists who all train together to ensure a coherent approach to their casualty simulations and to achieve the necessary physical fitness to cope with field exercises in all weather conditions. For the delivery of the COEFOR contract, Amputees in Action has interviewed and selected supervisors to manage the teams whilst working on the training exercises.  These supervisors were drawn from the pool of Trauma Casualty Amputee actors.
 
John Pickup, managing director, Amputees in Action, commented: “We’re delighted that Serco has chosen us to be a prime subcontractor in the delivery of this vital service for the Army. It’s an endorsement of all the hard work and commitment contributed by everyone in the team over the years, to create a level of realism in our simulations that is second to none.”

Karen Smart, partnership director, Serco UK & Europe Division commented: “We look forward to working closely with Amputees in Action, who have a depth of experience in recreating traumatic incidents. Their expertise in this field compliments the requirement to create realistic environments, that enables the British Forces to train effectively for operations.  Working alongside individuals that have personnel experience of traumatic incidents provides additional depth to the training.  The successful delivery of this contract by Serco is critical to the successful preparation of our troops before they deploy on operations.”