Letters - 11 February 2011
From under-eighteen recruitment to children at Meeting
Under-eighteen recruitment
I have a grandson who seems happy he chose a career in the army many years ago. In retirement, I have many local friends who have retired from the army. They point out that there is no conscription, that the army does not want conscription and has no interest in recruiting young people with poor qualifications. The army needs some recruits with GCSEs in English and maths as a minimum, and who are able to reach the required physical standard.
Given that many young people take GCSE exams as they approach sixteen, and that the minimum school leaving age is sixteen, I can understand why the recruiters make their pitch to this cohort each year. By the time a young person has received the GCSE results, has been interviewed, has passed the necessary medical and has been selected for the next available basic training course, the weeks have ticked by. I think sixteen is very much a minimum recruitment age. After basic training comes further training in specialist skills.
Michael Bartlet (21 January) has written a sensible and well-researched article advocating a change of the minimum age to eighteen. I would be happy to see that happen. It may be that the minimum school-leaving age will eventually be raised to seventeen or eighteen. Whatever the age, I do understand why recruiters from many types of employment, including the services, aim to tell each annual batch of school leavers what is on offer.
Phillip Gething
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