Written question asked by Mark Hoban (Conservative) on Wednesday, 30 June 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 July 2004. It was answered by Ivor Caplin (Labour) on Thursday, 15 July 2004 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) numeracy and (b) literacy of recruits to each of the three services; and what programmes are available to those who need to raise their level of attainment. - (Holding answer 5 July 2004).

Answer: Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the (a) numeracy and (b) literacy of recruits to each of the three services; and what programmes are available to those who need to raise their level of attainment. [182327] Mr. Caplin: [holding answer 5 July 2004]: Basic Skills (numeracy and literacy) are assessed on entry to all three Services. An assessment for the Royal Navy earlier this year, found that some 20 per cent. of recruits were at or below National Basic Skills Entry Level 3 and an assessment by the Army in October 2003 indicated that some 50 per cent. of their recruits were at or below this standard. No significant problem has been identified in the RAF. In the Royal Navy, Basic Skills are addressed within training according to individual need and from September 2004, there will be a separate training phase for those identified as having a Basic Skills gap. In the Army, Basic Skills support and assistance is provided locally at around 164 Educational Centres, ICT-based learning centres and Initial Training Units. In the RAF, those who require improvements to their Basic Skills are given assistance via the RAF Learndirect Hub. All three Services are major providers of Modem Apprenticeships. These require individuals to achieve at least Key Skills Level 1 in both numeracy and literacy.

Secondary information