A foreman of signals is a highly qualified senior NCO or

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...

signals engineering manager in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

and other

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armies. They undertake the role of equipment care specialist, with additional responsibilities for engineering and technical project management sometimes.

Selection and training process

A soldier from the Royal Corps of Signals selected for foreman of signals training must hold a minimum qualification of class 1 communications systems engineer, have served a minimum of ten years within the Army and hold the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

or above. To be accepted onto the foreman of signals course, each individual candidate must follow a strict selection process that starts 15 months before the course start date. From May to December, the candidates must complete tutor marked assessments (TMAs) which are submitted monthly. In January, the candidates sit two three-hour exams, which are co-ordinated to start concurrently around the world. Successful candidates then attend a one-week selection board where different management and technical tasks are used to assess the candidates' suitability to the task of becoming a foreman of signals. There are usually close to a hundred eligible candidates every year. However, the board only selects between 8 and 20 students for each course, which typically commences in the first week of September each year and lasts 20 months. During the course, they are given the rank of acting sergeant.

Career progression

On completion of the course, the soldier is promoted to

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supe ...

if the rank is not already held, and assumes the appointment of foreman of signals. They work as part of a unit operations team with a yeoman of signals, who is a communications technical specialist. The holder of the appointment can be promoted through the ranks from staff sergeant, to

warrant officer class 2 Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the most ...

, then

warrant officer class 1 Warrant may refer to: * Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization ** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual ** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for eviden ...

. To distinguish the appointment, the suffix of FofS is used (i.e. SSgt(FofS), WO2(FofS), WO1(FofS)).

History

The title has definitely existed since the formation of the Royal Corps of Signals and may have been used previously in the

Royal Engineers Signal Service The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

. Formerly, staff sergeants and warrant officers class 2 held the appointment of foreman of signals quartermaster sergeant (FoSQMS) and warrant officers class 1 held the appointment of foreman of signals sergeant major (FoSSM). The first foreman of signals course was held in 1951 and the current courses () are the 86th and 87th running of the course.

India

In the

Indian Army Corps of Signals Indian Army Corps of Signals is a corps and a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which handles its military communications. It was formed on 15 February 1911 as a separate entity under Lieutenant Colonel S H Powell, and went on to make impo ...

, a foreman of signals holds

junior commissioned officer Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term used for a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar ( non commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Se ...

rank and must have had a minimum of ten years' service. Training courses are conducted at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering at

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. British Army specialisms Royal Corps of Signals Indian Army Warrant officers {{UK-mil-stub