Britain’s Army boots have hit the ground today as part of a brand new “Step Up” recruitment campaign which will hit TV screens across the country tonight.
The “Step Up” campaign is part of a wider recruiting programme, designed to bring 10,000 new soldiers and officers into the Army over the coming year. It aims to dispel the misconception that the Army is not hiring as new statistics reveal that only half of all people surveyed realised that the Army is looking for new recruits.
Despite this widespread misconception the survey found that nearly one in five people would consider stepping up to join the Army. This brand new campaign will target those potential recruits and will feature new TV adverts that show the audience, through the perspective of a pair of iconic Army boots, the potential journey that any soldier might take whilst following a career in the Army and highlighting what it can offer new recruits. This will be supported by other initiatives including recruitment clinics in nearly 400 locations across the UK in partnership with Jobcentre Plus.
Lance Corporal Benji Shaw, 26, from Toxteth in Liverpool is a platoon corporal serving with the Duke of Lancaster Regiment. He will be part of the team attending the JobCentre Plus clinics, he said:
“Joining the Army is the best decision I have ever made. It has been the making of me. As part of my training I have gained qualifications and news skills, plus I have been given the opportunity to do and experience things that would never have been open to me in a civilian job. I have served on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and given the choice, I would do it all over again.”
The campaign and the clinics form part of an overhauled system designed to streamline recruitment. Army jobs will now be advertised in job centres, and applicants will be able to apply online from anywhere in the UK. The vast majority of the application process is now done online. All applications are administered through the dedicated National Recruiting Centre, where a mentor is assigned to each applicant to guide him or her through the process of joining the Regular Army or the Reserves.
Brigadier Andrew Jackson, the Director of Recruiting and Training for the Army said:
“We are always looking for talented, young people to take up the challenge of a career in the Army. No matter what your skills or background, the Army has something to offer you and an Army job provides opportunities to learn much more beyond military skills. It will develop you and show you the strengths you didn't know you had. These statistics show that one in five people would consider joining the Army so we need to encourage those individuals to come forward and find out more about joining us.
“No matter what its size, the Army is always recruiting to ensure we have enough quality junior ranks and young officers to sustain the organisation and keep it ready for the challenges of the future. We pride ourselves on recruiting individuals who demonstrate talent and promise, and then provide them with all the training and development opportunities they need. Today is about helping them take the first step toward a successful career in the Army, and beyond.”
For more information about the exciting job opportunities with the Army, visit http://www.army.mod.uk/join/StepUp or call 0845 600 8080.
