Defence written question – answered at on 22 January 2007.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to (a) increase recruitment levels to and (b) reduce outflow from the UK's armed forces.
All three services undertake numerous and varied initiatives, both at national and local level, aimed at sustaining and increasing the level of recruitment to the armed forces. Included amongst the many current initiatives are:
The use of multi-media advertising campaigns;
Services recruiting teams' attendance at schools, careers fairs and graduate recruitment seminars, road shows, exhibitions, youth clubs and organisations;
Specialist teams to attract doctors, dentists, nurses, lawyers and padres by promoting service careers within specialist recruitment shows and through professional bodies;
Work experience placements within service establishments;
Personal development courses and look at life courses for young people who express an interest in the armed forces;
Taster day visits to HM ships and service establishments;
A dedicated careers website for each of the services complete with a dedicated information support call centre;
An Army 'on-line' recruiting office, with plans for this to be replicated by the other services;
Specialist ethnic minority recruiting and diversity action teams aimed at promoting armed forces careers amongst the UK's ethnic minority and faith communities;
A partnership with Jobcentre Plus, making use of its network (totalling in excess of 1,100) of local outlets.
Retention measures such as commitment bonuses, re-engagement packages, financial retention initiatives and initiatives to improve work/life balance and working conditions at the front line, continue to be used with the aim of discouraging outflow.
Our aim is to maintain stable levels of retention through policies that genuinely reflect the priorities of our people and their families whilst optimising their operational effectiveness. For example, the terms and conditions of service in the armed forces are continually being reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate to the requirements and that entitlements are best targeted to enhance recruitment and retention. There are a number of specific initiatives currently being undertaken such as the strategic remuneration review and the defence living accommodation strategy which will contribute towards this effort. In addition, we have made improvements to travel allowances to permit personnel to get home more easily and continue to refine the operational welfare package while also promoting measures such as work/life balance and career breaks to improve the day-to-day lives of service personnel and their families.
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