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Armed Forces: Recruitment

Answer

In 2019 the number of Army recruits with reading ages between five and eleven were as follows:

Reading age	Number of recruits
Five – seven	20
Seven - nine	220
Nine – eleven	760

Notes:

In 2019 the Royal Air Force had no recruits join with a reading age below 11.

The Royal Navy does not assess recruits’ reading ages.

All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

Candidates have been permitted to join the Army with a reading age of five to seven on the understanding that they attend organised training at a local college to bring them up to the required minimum standard (Entry Level 2) before they commence Basic Training.

No recruits have joined the Armed Forces to date in 2020 with a reading age of five to seven years.

The UK Armed Forces use standard academic qualifications as entry criteria where relevant, and requirements vary depending on trade group. Entry is not determined by reading levels.

Over 94% of non-commissioned recruits, no matter their age, will enrol in an Apprenticeship Programme each year.

In line with Government Apprenticeship policy, all Service personnel undertaking an apprenticeship are required to attempt to gain a Functional Skills (FS) Level 2 award in literacy and numeracy - equivalent to at least a Grade 4 at GCSE level.

Since September 2012, Defence has adopted FS qualifications (English) and (Mathematics) as the accredited measures of literacy and numeracy skills for all Service personnel accessing in-Service literacy and numeracy provision.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

54138

Session

2019-21

Grouped for answer

Yes

Subjects

Armed forces Recruitment Reading

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk