Armed forces for gap year

Well better than being on the dole surely and they could do what mine all did work part time weekends or evenings or both

BlueBelle

Well better than being on the dole surely and they could do what mine all did work part time weekends or evenings or both

The alternative is not on the dole

The alternative might be an apprenticeship or full-time work where they are paid.

Not every family can afford for their child to do voluntary work for a year (despite having a weekend job too) or going off on a gap year.

We need more schemes like this one, more apprenticeships and opportunities for young people.

Luckygirl3

It is indeed voluntary, but seems to be being sold as a way of getting an education. My hope is that one day all young people can get such an education paid for in ways that do not require them to have an interest in the armed forces. It seems a bit unfair that those with no military ambitions cannot receive what they need without going into massive debt. Their future value to society is also important.

Well said, Luckygirl.

It is wrong that people need to get into debt to get an education, I agree.

I don't honestly see that this means that those who want to take up this offer should not be allowed to do so though. They are two separate things.

My hope is that one day all young people can get such an education paid for in ways that do not require them to have an interest in the armed forces.

Remember sandwich courses?
We need more schemes like that.

There are such schemes or similar now, but there is fierce competition for places.

Doodledog

It is wrong that people need to get into debt to get an education, I agree.

I don't honestly see that this means that those who want to take up this offer should not be allowed to do so though. They are two separate things.

Yes.

It sonly 150 places increasing, if successful, to 1,000.
It means those who may not want to commit to joining the Armed Forces in order to go through university can have a taster 12 months first, without having to sign on for a period of time, although that is comparatively short compared to what it was years ago.

There is no way conscription would come back as it's massively expensive and the military only want volunteers. Also most young people would refuse to serve anyway.
I think the best way to increase armed forces numbers is through this gap year programme, and by increasing armed forces pay. An army driver earns 29k, while a civilian HGV driver can earn 40-50k, which means it's harder to recruit and retain personnel.

It seems a good idea to me. I see some positives in military experience

Iam64

It seems a good idea to me. I see some positives in military experience

Agreed.

I have hope young people taking up this scheme work out if the military may be a life choice they'd perhaps find enjoyable.

We have under-sized highly technically trained armed services, facing an increasing number of threats from hostile countries. They do not have the time or resources to wet nurse a bundle of school leavers who think it might be fun to play being soldiers for a year.

We have a territorial army of reservists, why not encourage these youngsters to join the territorial army instead.

It is nice to talk about a years voluntary service, but there are well in excess of 350,000 school leavers every year. Exactly how would you fid jobs appropriate to each child, plus full criminal checks.

Then what work would they do? Probably work now done by lower paid carers, manual workers and other people in marginal jobs. This will mean higher unemployment among this country's most marginal and poorly paid workers.

Sounds like a Green Party policy.

As for Anything has to be better than paying unemployed young people to stay at home in bed staring at their screens and phones. The solution is to make benefits for 16-21 year olds dependent on attendance at educational and vocational classes specifically designed for this particular group of youngsters.

The problem is that many of this lost group of school leavers and school truants, is that many are not claiming benefits, but, as many of them still live at home, they get by with doing odd jobs for cash or working on the black.

It is nice to talk about a years voluntary service, but there are well in excess of 350,000 school leavers every year. Exactly how would you fid jobs appropriate to each child, plus full criminal checks.

The initial number is 150 increasing to 1,000 if this is successful.

It's not every school leaver, it's a minute number and of course they will be interviewed and vetted.

AlliraYes, but I was responding to a post which suggested that every school leaver should do a year's voluntary work and I went on to discuss quite clearly what work they would end up doing. Absolutely no mention of this army scheme.

In fact, as I said at the start of my post, Our under-number, under and under resourced, and over committed armed forces have more than enough to do with fulfilling their main requirement of definding this country in a complex world to want take on even 100, let alone 1,000 youngsters who fancy playing soldiers for a year.

Horrible idea teaching people to kill and maim the enemy, whoever that is at a y particular time. Then I tend to be a pacifist.

I m with you ALL the way Nanna8 I dislike the thoughts of teaching children to use guns and how to handle violence I d much rather see a type of Peace corp which I think is something other countries have done for years

It's a choice for those really thinking of joining the military. Thank goodness peope do. I don't think you would ever get conscription back. Population too diverse and the young know too much about other conflicts and the flaky leaders. We need more training courses for skills we are losing. For both practical and academic. University if it leads to a profession, not for done ology leading to nothing. Everyone leaving school should take further training leading to employment. It was unheard of years ago not to get some kind of work to contribute to society. My children and grandchildren got paid work as soon as they were able including those at Uni.

To put it bluntly few people want to fight or kill but I wonder what we would do if Putin were to breeze in with his troops. Would we just lie on our backs show our little pink tummies and ask him nicely to go to away - and seriously think he would.

No one, that I know, and I come from an army family, ever wants to kill or hurt anyone else, but they realise that their are times when we need to be able to defend ourselves from the violence of others, whether on a personal, family or national basis.

Good post, M0nica.

Future attacks are less likely to be boots on ground and guns, though.

Monica 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Exactly M0nica. Look at all those Ukrainian men who rose to the occasion and give it their all. Just ordinary men. Bravo.

BlueBelle

I m with you ALL the way Nanna8 I dislike the thoughts of teaching children to use guns and how to handle violence I d much rather see a type of Peace corp which I think is something other countries have done for years

I am with you on this Bleubelle.

The problem with joining the armed forces is that, whilst some will gain an enormous amount from this, others are seriously traumatized by it. I live near the hills where several young recruits have died through pressure from hard-hearted hierarchies to keep up without the necessary safeguards in place And bullying and misogyny are rife.

The other major problem of course is that if you are part of the armed forces, you find yourself obliged to fight for causes that are politically led and that you may disagree fundamentally with. I would not want my child to die in a flawed cause.

Some children will be attracted by this scheme because it means they gain educationally without having to fork out £000s. It would be good if this could happen without the military strings.

It would be wonderful if we lived in a world without war - but we don't!

What too many people forget is that the choice between peace and war is not a choice between killing, being killed and traumatised or living in perfect peace. Most decisions on whether to go to war or not, are in fact choices about who will die and how they will die.

Take the Ukranian War, if Ukraine had just greeted Ptin with a white flag, many soldiers would not have died. Many other people.mainly non-combatants, would. many would have disappeared into Putin's prrisons never to be seen again. many children would be wrested from their parents and sent o indoctrination camps.

I cannot think of any peace/war situation where the conclusion, on whatever side you come down on will not involve fighting, killing and trauma.

Gosh MOnica, have never considered that perspective.

many children would be wrested from their parents and sent o indoctrination camps.
That is indeed what has happened to thousands of Ukrainian children.

This article is six months old but it was widely reported:

As many as 35,000 Ukrainian children are still missing and thought to be held in Russia or Russian-occupied territories, according to an American team of experts, with families saying they are being forced to take desperate and risky measures to try to rescue them.

As Russian forces began their invasion in February 2022, children were abducted from care homes, from the battlefield after the death of their parents, or under coercion directly from their families.

Russia has rejected demands for the children to be returned, with an official accusing Ukraine of “staging a show on the topic of lost children” during ceasefire talks in Turkey this month.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/27/russia-ukrainian-children-abduction-war-crime

President Putin continues to intensify missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities which continue to kill civilians, including children, and damage vital civilian infrastructure. President Putin is also taking children from their families. Almost 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia or to Russian temporarily controlled territory by Russian authorities.
Hansard 20th November 2025

My experience of the armed forces has been as a social worker.
Many of the young people who join up are from disadvantaged backgrounds and sadly sometimes not very bright ... they felt like canon fodder to me.