Friends point to rise in young army recruits
'All three branches of the forces are now competing to recruit school leavers, especially those with good science or technology A levels.’
A Quaker-linked advice service for members of the armed forces has flagged concerns about a shift in the army’s focus to recruiting eighteen-year-old school leavers.
‘For many years Friends were concerned with what they call “the six year trap”,’ said Gwyn Gwyntopher from At Ease, referring to the recruitment of sixteen-year-olds, who, after an expiry date, usually have mostly to stay in service for six years.
But at present there is a greater problem of the recruitment of eighteen- year-old school leavers, he said. ‘The pressure to persuade school leavers to make a commitment they may later regret has now transferred.’
Current government policy is to reduce the size of the army, particularly the infantry regiments that formerly recruited many sixteen-year-olds straight from school, he told the Friend. ‘The money saved is to be allocated to the development of nuclear and other advanced weaponry. This mostly will go to the RAF and the navy. All three branches of the forces are now competing to recruit school leavers, especially those with good science or technology A levels.’
With the possibility of being sponsored by the MOD throughout university, with tuition and examination fees paid, and receiving a wage, not a loan, he said this differs from civilian university students who face high tuition fees and debt.
Recruits who join up after their eighteenth birthday lose the right of discharge after twelve weeks’ service, unlike the six-month expiry date for under eighteens. ‘Also the discretionary power of commanding officers to discharge those deemed unhappy or unsuitable does not apply to those who join at eighteen years or over.’
This month the British Army unveiled its latest recruitment campaign ‘You Belong Here’, to ‘challenge the misconceptions among the 59% of young people who do not believe they would fit in, in the British Army’. This follows new research from the military that fewer than one in two young people believe the army would fulfil their values. According to the army’s website, the research also uncovered that ‘young Brits share similar values with the Army of respect, fun, working hard and being helpful’.
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