The Government is set to launch a new military “gap year” scheme aimed at giving young people a taste of life in the armed forces without requiring a long-term commitment, as it seeks to tackle persistent recruitment and retention problems.
The programme, targeted at under-25s, will allow school and college leavers to spend up to a year with the Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force. Applications for the first intake of 150 recruits are expected to open in the spring, with plans to expand the scheme to around 1,000 participants a year.
While the placements will be paid, the Government has yet to confirm salary levels. Participants will not be deployed on active operations, and officials say the final structure and content of the courses are still being developed.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the scheme would give young people access to “incredible skills and training”, while also helping the armed forces widen their recruitment base.
Under early proposals, the Army element would involve 13 weeks of basic training followed by a two-year placement, while the Royal Navy option would last a year and focus on general sailor training, according to the i newspaper. Plans for the RAF strand are understood to be less advanced.
The scheme would expand on existing, more limited programmes. The Army currently offers around 30 gap year placements a year, mainly for those considering officer training, though fewer than 10 people enrolled in the last academic year.
The Ministry of Defence said the new initiative would be open to a much broader group of young people and would focus on leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills that could be used “for life”, whether or not participants go on to a military career.
Officials hope some recruits will choose to stay on after the programme, helping to bolster the armed forces at a time when numbers are under pressure.
“As families come together and young people think about their futures, I want the outstanding opportunities on offer in our armed forces to be part of that conversation in homes across the UK,” Mr Healey said.
He described the scheme as part of the Government’s “whole-of-society approach” to defence and deterrence, arguing that the security threats facing the UK, including from Russia, require a “new era” of defence thinking.
However, the plans have drawn criticism from the Conservatives, who questioned the scale of the scheme.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said: “As ever with Labour, the reality does not match the spin. A scheme involving just 150 participants is barely a pilot, let alone the ‘whole-of-society’ response they claim to be delivering.”
He added that while the Australian model the scheme is based on “has its strengths”, the small numbers would do little to improve the UK’s readiness for conflict. Mr Cartlidge said the Conservatives were “serious about defending our country”, pointing to proposals to redirect up to £50bn from climate and science budgets into defence spending.
The idea was recommended in the Government’s strategic defence review published in June and is inspired by a similar initiative run by the Australian Defence Force. That programme, open to 17 to 24-year-olds, has been operating for more than a decade. In 2023, 664 people took part, with just over half going on to join Australia’s military permanently.
The UK’s proposed scheme forms part of a broader effort to increase the number of people with military experience. Ministers have also said they want to expand the cadet forces by 30%.
Several European countries, including France and Germany, have recently reintroduced forms of voluntary national service in response to heightened security concerns linked to Russia.
Lord Richard Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said the scheme would have only a limited impact on the immediate threat posed by Russia but could still bring longer-term benefits.
“It will play a little bit towards improving recruiting,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “More importantly, it gives people who may choose a different career path some exposure to the armed forces, discipline and problem-solving skills.”
