The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is actively engaging with diverse and underrepresented communities to promote defence apprenticeship and graduate schemes, according to a response provided to Parliament.
Calvin Bailey, Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, asked about outreach efforts by Defence Nuclear Enterprise, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and other MoD bodies to increase participation in London-based defence career programmes.
In response, Minister for Veterans Al Carns highlighted the critical importance of attracting talent from a broad range of backgrounds to ensure the operational effectiveness of the UK’s Armed Forces.
“We will only meet these threats if all our people, regardless of background, are confident that their efforts and skills are properly recognised, their individuality and experience respected, and they are able to achieve their full potential,” Carns stated.
The MoD participates in various national initiatives to encourage apprenticeships and graduate recruitment, including:
- National and Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards
- National Apprenticeship Week
- Apprenticeship Ambassador Network
- Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
- University careers fairs
- The 5% Club (employer-led initiative for apprenticeships)
- Youth Futures Foundation (focused on youth employment opportunities)
While the MoD could not immediately provide a full breakdown of outreach programmes conducted in London over the past 12 months, the Minister emphasised that London is included in these nationwide efforts.
At the UK Defence Journal, we aim to deliver accurate and timely news on defence matters. We rely on the support of readers like you to maintain our independence and high-quality journalism. Please consider making a one-off donation to help us continue our work. Click here to donate. Thank you for your support!
Far left wokes
The next generation of the 5th column.
Erm, check the world ( the real one ) This tuff is going down the pan. At last.
Playing identity politics when the barbarians are literally at the gates.
As I may have mentioned earlier, it would seem that your institutions are dead set on ruining your country.
Or, and forgive me for being radical here, pick the best people for the job.
How dare you. You’ll be saying next that it’s only common sense !!!
How is making it clear to people who might think it’s a white boys only club that they are welcome to apply not picking the best people for the job?
Or are all the best people white men?
Pick the best for the job, or if you are the RAF then just pick from a closed list. All that is wrong with this is clear. We all have seen it, most have exprienced it. It does a massive dis service to all those who are from a diverse back ground who got the job because of hard work and being good at the job.
I find it insulting to all those i have served with who risked all along side me but got there by being them selves and not by box ticking.
guys remember why CIA failed to see osama bin laden coming. a bit of diversity is preferable. why did nokia not produce the first smart phone ?
Aside from everything else that’s wrong with this, if they want to widen participation why do they need to be ‘London-based’ defence career programmes? Most of Britain is not London, MOD doesn’t pay well enough for people who don’t already live in London to take the hit on living costs to relocate there, and there isn’t any particularly good reason to be basing a large chunk of the defence enterprise in London anyway. DE&S is in Bristol, the Defence nuclear enterprise is either in Bristol or at the shipyards, Dstl is Salisbury and Portsmouth.
You seriously can’t understand why an MP whose constituency is in London is arguing for outreach in London?
Really?
DEI has destroyed the US military, and it is doing the same to the UK’s armed forces – it’s a significant reason why people don’t want to join the military. VP Vance delivered a clear speech at the Munich Security Conference… they view woke European politics as more of a threat than either Russia or China. And yet our leaders have their heads in the sand. The American’s have run out of patience with our self-destruction, moralising, hypocrisy, talk, and refusal to pay for our own defence… and Starmer and his Eurocrat mates don’t get it. Time has run out.
Are you still in nokia
Oh? The Authoritarian Right Wing prot Fascist sees the free world as more of a threat than his authoritarian buddies? Colour me shocked.
I think they are right about DEI. Quotas are generally bad. It should be a standards based meritocracy. It’s a given that the MoD should recruit from all areas of society and include a wide range of people. But… I have to admit that I don’t like their pro-Russia views. Maybe we are diverging from the US?
There are no Quotas for ethnicity, sexual orientation or Gender in the armed forces. So you’re making something up to be upset about here.
I would challenge this. The US military has not been destroyed through diversity. Nor has the UK military. You are conflating your opinions with an oversimplification to make yourself feel better. There are many reasons that the US/UK militaries are in decline, waste, under investment, profits being taken by the industrial base, a massively changing world order and pace of innovation and digitization that the public sector is not robust enough to keep up with.
Rather than judging the people who are different to you, try being curious; imagine how much more difficult it is for someone to serve when they face discrimination. How much more motivated they must be to serve their country? They face bigotry and opposition yet still turn up and do their job despite this. The US have announced that they are going to remove 15K trained, capable and motivated transgender service personnel because of… reasons. Yet they are struggling with recruitment and retention. I suppose the question is who are you/they going to blame once all the people you hate have been caste out?
“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
As usual ,Diversity forgets those who are Left handed this post is in jest as is DEI
One day us left-handed people will rule the world! ;-p
No issue with this on the face of it; it seems that politicians (hopefully!) are finally waking up to the need to spend more on defence and have a larger armed forces, meaning expanding the number of serving personnel.
Reaching out to people from communities who may never have considered the forces is a good way to attract a larger pool of people.
However, I think this needs to go further – not just to minority communities but to as many secondary schools and colleges as possible around the country. Start generating a lot more interest in the forces. Show it to be skilled trade and career opportunities for people who might otherwise be looking at life on minimum wage, unskilled roles e.g. McDonalds or supermarkets, or even on the dole, and offer them a far better life than flipping burgers or stacking shelves, or sat on a couch!
Agree.
Colour blind and merit based, it’s that simple really.
You simply require the best applicants in the right jobs.
Sady the happy clappy ‘be kind’, diversity brigade, has evolved to be a growing and highly self protective industry, employing hundreds of thousands in the UK.
They won’t give up those ‘non’ jobs easily.
there you go that’s what matters to the MOD, fiddling while Ukraine burns.
Maybe reach out to the UK Russian community so the FSB sleeper agents can earn their keep?
…tongue firmly in cheek.