With more than one million 16 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training, veterans minister Louise Sandher Jones has urged young people to “really seriously take a look at the armed forces.” The push follows a £70 million government pledge to expand the Cadet Force by 30% and a February announcement to place military personnel in jobcentres to recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers.

Critics argue the military is a poor response to youth unemployment. Research cited by the Child Rights International Network shows the drop out rate among under 18s at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate is around 30%, compared with 6 to 15% in civilian further education, suggesting recruitment in this age group may increase, rather than reduce, the number of young people who are NEET.

Concerns have also been raised about what campaigners describe as an “economic draft” or “conscription by poverty,” with Forces Watch warning that limited opportunities for young people are being used as a recruitment pathway. With fewer than 10,000 graduate jobs available for close to a million university leavers, critics argue army recruitment “does not plug the gap” and that youth unemployment is “a much bigger problem than simply telling people to join the military.”