Thousands battling to find work join ‘high risk’ Army

Figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post have revealed this year there have been 11,315 applications from people in the region interested in joining up, compared to 9,991 in 2007.

The rise comes despite there being minimal marketing to attract new soldiers, as Ministry of Defence chiefs who are embarking on the biggest round of cuts to the military since the end of the Cold War, are now recruiting to an Army of 83,000 compared to one of 102,000 two years ago.

Some specialist trades within the Army, such as vehicle mechanics and aviation technicians, now have waiting lists of up to 18 months, compared to two months five years ago.

There have currently been 407 UK military deaths in Afghanistan, with the region bearing a particularly heavily brunt, as highlighted last month with the deaths of six soldiers – five from 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment – in a bomb blast in Helmand.

With three of the soldiers, Corporal Jake Hartley, 20, Private Anthony Frampton, 20, and Private Daniel Wilford, 21, all coming from the Kirklees area, military chiefs fear the latest tragedy could have a significant impact on recruitment.

In 2009, when there was a spate of deaths from The Rifles, which recruit heavily from South and West Yorkshire, there was a reduction of up to 70 per cent of applicants from those areas.

Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, said: “I suspect there will be a decrease in the short term – this tragedy will have an impact on recruits. The town is still very muted and people are still signing the condolences book and leaving flowers in the centre.

“It is going to take a long time to grieve, and quite rightly so.

“I want young people to join the Army for the right reasons – there is a proud history in this region of young men and women joining up to serve their country. If it is right for them, it can be a very good career for a lot of young people, but not if they join because it is the only alternative. If people are joining out of desperation, that should be discouraged.”

The numbers of recruits applying to join the Army has climbed steadily since 2007 – despite a peak of 13,083 applications in 2008/2009 after a major marketing campaign by the MoD.

However despite the region supplying nearly one fifth of the entire Army, a number of recruitment centres are to be closed from this month, including Barnsley, Huddersfield and Scarborough, after the MoD outsourced services to a private company.

The Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis, who spent 15 years as a paratrooper serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, said: “I still believe, despite the obvious high levels of risk, that the Armed Forces is a fantastic career for young people.

“From the moment I entered Parliament I have expressed my concern about the levels of cuts to the Armed Forces – we are sleepwalking into a period of strategic challenge. This is now another avenue of opportunity that is being closed to young people in Yorkshire and that is a great tragedy.”

Major Rod Flint, oversees recruitment operations for the Army including the Yorkshire Regiment, said: “For some of those leaving school, we are now one of the few employers who are still recruiting. That is now driving more interest.

“The fact that the numbers are still going up now even though we are not marketing it is really down to the job situation.”