"A pilot scheme in which long-term unemployed people take part in a
month-long training programme run by the army could be rolled out
nationally after it caught the attention of ministers, according to the
army's website.
The pilot project, which is "aimed at building self-esteem and skills",
has been completed by 31 people in two towns in the West Midlands,
producing "excellent results", according to the army.
Of 18 volunteers in Telford, 10 have subsequently applied to join the
army reserve, and of 13 participants in Stoke-on-Trent, three have
applied to join the regular army, four to join the army reserve and one
to become a reserve officer.
Other areas identified for similar projects are Wolverhampton, Coventry and Walsall in the West Midlands.
The military has been stepping up other efforts to encourage jobless
people to enlist. At the start of the year it launched a campaign called
More than Meets the Eye with a series of recruitment clinics at
jobcentres.
Thousands of regular soldiers are being made redundant under
cost-cutting plans by the Ministry of Defence, which envisages the army
of the future being much more reliant on reserves."
www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/29/...ng-scheme-unemployed
