Army Manning (Hansard, 18 February 1997)

§ Mr. Soames

I am determined to reverse the current levels of undermanning in the armed forces. We shall accelerate our recruiting efforts, which already show a marked improvement in results over previous years. The Army alone will need up to 17,000 recruits per annum over the next few years.

Numbers are not the only issue, however. Equally important is the need to attract recruits of the right quality to cope with the complexities of modern warfare, and to provide the highest standards of leadership, for which our forces are rightly renowned and which were previously provided under the junior leaders scheme.

To obtain suitable high quality recruits in sufficient numbers, we propose to supplement our current recruiting methods with a new approach designed to attract school leavers of 16 years and over interested in gaining qualifications and enhanced career opportunities as well as guaranteed employment.

I have decided, therefore, to open a new Army foundation college in September 1998. It will offer a 42-week Army foundation course for soldiers destined for front line roles, combining military and leadership 469W training with vocational education. It will develop key skills in numeracy, communications, information technology, personal skills and problem solving, needed for access to national vocational qualifications.

When fully established the college will accommodate up to 1,300 students. Its graduates will therefore contribute significantly to resolving the Army's manning difficulties. We are confident that many of them will rise to fill key positions, providing the Army with high quality leadership into the future.

Following the example of other successful defence projects, such as the recent competition for the new joint services command and staff college, we intend to seek private finance for the college. There is a possible site available at the former army apprentices college at Harrogate, which we shall draw to the attention of bidders, but it would not be appropriate to take a firm decision on location at this stage.

The new Army foundation college will ensure that the Army is well placed to attract the best young men and women into its ranks. It will offer ambitious young people valuable qualifications and one of the most challenging and worthwhile careers in the country today.