Widening the Talent Pool, Recruitment Award

 

Motivate

The Army is committed to being an inclusive employer and to recruiting the highest calibre officers and soldiers from across British society.  A diverse range of skills and abilities are required to meet the ever changing and widening demands of the modern Army. 

The Army has undertaken a raft of initiatives aimed at changing attitudes within BAME communities towards seeing it as a viable career choice.

 

Action

Six pilot projects have been launched across the UK in the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, London and Slough.  These focus on engagement with schools and local communities to reach target groups and influencers.  Through mentoring, partnering, outreach, marketing and direct access to ethnic minority soldiers, the projects are designed to raise awareness of the Army ‘Offer’ and break down barriers to joining.          

The Army went much further than its traditional dialogue with religious/community leaders, using social/digital media including Twitter, You Tube and Facebook, to reach young people directly.  The scheme also successfully established contact with many new schools and communities across the country.

Each major faith group within the Army holds public conferences to discuss issues, encouraging serving personnel and the general public to attend, thereby offering a forum for honest and open debate to potential recruits and gatekeepers.    

 

Impact

A key aim of the Army’s recruiting strategy has been to change attitudes and perceptions, thereby setting the conditions for successful recruiting long-term. 

In 12 months (2010/11 - 2011/12), the number of UK BAME personnel recruited into the Regular Army rose from 201 to 295 (a 32% increase) and by 25% for the Territorial Army.  Enquiries from BAME individuals about joining the Army have also increased significantly - in Slough, monthly enquiries increased from 10 to 50.  There are now over 900 BAME personnel in the recruiting pipeline.