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Written question asked by Nicholas Dakin (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 December 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 December 2016 (named day). It was answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative) on Monday, 12 December 2016 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Army: Training

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of British Army trainees aged under 18 at (a) ATC Pirbright and (b) ITC Catterick achieved Functional Skills qualifications in English and mathematics during their training there; and at what levels those trainees achieved those qualifications.

Answer

The Army provides excellent employment opportunities across the United Kingdom. It is Britain’s biggest provider of apprenticeships and offers chances not just for a job, but for a career and ongoing training supporting Her Majesty’s Government’s social mobility agenda.

All Army training establishments support personnel in gaining basic Functional Skills (FS) in literacy and numeracy in preparation for further training, where over 95% receive nationally recognised apprenticeship training and as part of that complete literacy and numeracy FS up to Level 2.

Many trainees at Army Training Centre (ATC) Pirbright and Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick already hold FS qualifications on arrival and, since 2016, these individuals will undertake a BTEC in Public Services. The table below shows the details of FS qualifications in English and Mathematics obtained by Army Trainees 18 and under at ITC Catterick in the last three years:

English

Mathematics

Entry Level 3

Level 1

Entry Level 3

Level 1

2013

~

~

~

~

2014

10

0

5

~

2015

10

0

10

0

Over the same period at ATC Pirbright less than 5 FS qualifications in English were achieved at Entry Level 3 by a trainee aged 18 or under.

The Army has completed some initial work to consider the provision of GCSE resits for trainees and options for optimising their delivery and the balance with other training courses

provided, such as apprenticeships and BTECs. Consideration of these options is being taken forward as part of a broader Junior Entry Review due to report in 2017.

Please note that numbers have been rounded according to Ministry of Defence Disclosure Control and Rounding Policy to the nearest 5. ~ denotes less than 5. These figures are single service estimates only and are not official statistics. Rounding is necessary as a means of disclosure control and for the preservation of anonymity

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
56486
Session
2016-17
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
English language Training Young people Mathematics
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk