The recruitment landscape in the UK has changed dramatically over the last decade, presenting new challenges, particularly when it comes to recruiting young people for a career in military service. A challenging labour market, changing demographics and shifts in physical and mental health have presented recruitment hurdles across all three branches of the UK military. These challenges are also widely acknowledged by many other nations. In this context and in response, we have reinforced our close partnership with the British Army to recruit the right people for the right roles throughout the Army.
The recruitment process is designed to ensure that all those who might be a good fit for the Army, as well as those who express an interest, are given the best possible chances of making it through the gates on the first day of training. Last year, we deployed a number of technology-enabled enhancements to the end-to-end recruitment service, spanning from candidate attraction to the start of basic Army training. This process is supported by a network of 60 career offices nationwide and a skilled cadre of civilian and military recruiters – and is underpinned by key activities in marketing, candidate assessment, and candidate nurturing.
Revitalising the recruitment pipeline
We have made significant strides to rebuild a strong pipeline of applicants, which has been a challenge following the Covid pandemic. Over the last 12 months, we have more than doubled the active pipeline. In the last recruiting year (2023/2024), we received over 130,000 applications, interviewed 32,000 Regular and Reserve candidates and assessed over 10,000 of them. Currently, we serve over 30,000 active candidates in the pipeline.
Technological advancements in recruitment
We have introduced new technologies to make the process quicker and simpler for candidates. A new candidate portal has been launched to simplify the initial application process and the average time for soldiers to join has now been reduced to five months, marking a 25% decrease since 2015. Additionally, this year, an extra 6,400 candidates have been recruited into the British Army, nearly 900 more than the previous year (2022/2023). Officer recruitment has also achieved 94% of its target, with all three intakes at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) being full.
Targeted marketing
Our efforts to find the right candidates have involved extensive targeted marketing across the UK. From November 2023 to February 2024, our campaigns reached over 98% of the 16-34 age group, the precise age group the Army needs to recruit from. The focused approach resulted in 9.1 million visits to the Army Jobs website this year, an increase of over 38% compared to the same period last year, earning us the accolade of Best Recruiting Website at the RAD Awards 2024.
Enhancing application conversion rates
The conversion of interest to applications is crucial, and this is where much of our focus has been. We are forecasting a significant improvement in recruiting year 2024/2025, driven by a stronger pipeline and a reduced end-to-end application timeframe for candidates, helped by the new candidate portal. However, we remain acutely aware that one of the key risks to recruitment performance in 2024/2025 are the difficulties faced by our candidates in navigating a rigorous, multi-stage medical assessment process. In response, we continue to collaborate with the Army medical team to mitigate this risk, implementing innovations such as the use of machine learning to further expedite medical evaluations. Additionally, we are introducing digital processes for the request and receipt of candidate medical records, where early trial data suggests the potential reduction in processing time from a month to just a few days.
However, it is crucial to strike a balance between accelerating the application process and candidate assessments. This balance ensures the correct level of due diligence is adhered to at all times and that all candidates meet the required standards set by the Army, before embarking on a fulfilling career in the British Armed Forces.
From Defence Annual Review 2023/24
