The
Army in Scotland has contracted a Glasgow-based agency to advertise for more
than 2,000 potential recruits for military careers from 1 April.
Consultancy
Search was chosen for the one-year pilot which, if successful, will be extended
throughout the UK. It will work with the Army recruitment group to "widen
the appeal of the Army as a career option", according to a spokesman for
Search.
He
said, "Young people now have a much greater number of options when they
leave school and this pilot is about ensuring they understand and know about
the diverse variety of options which are enclosed within an Army career."
Scotland
produces a disproportionate number of soldiers ñ 12.5 per cent of the total
Army personnel out of a population that makes up 7.8 per cent of the UK total ñ
and the aim is to show individuals that the Army is about more than marching
and drilling.
Col
Wayne Harbour, from the Army Recruiting Group, said, "There is a
considerable degree of ignorance about the Army as a career and utilising an
outside agency is about ensuring that we get the best young people available.
"We
are hoping that recruitment costs can be reduced, but this is not just about
the process being cheaper. It is about being better."
The
Army declined to discuss the value of the contract, although it is understood
to be "seven figures".
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The
Search spokesman said, "We will be encouraging people to think in terms of
the Army as a career which offers you education and experience."
By
Colin Wright
