The government is investing £16bn in a new defence training academy based at St Athan in south Wales, which is due to teach skills from aeronautical engineering to security to around 10,000 armed forces personnel.
Defence secretary Des Browne told the Commons that the centre would “transform the way” the UK military is trained.
The first of two packages won by the Metrix Consortium will see training for 6,500 personnel transferred to the two sites over five years from 2008.
A new campus will be needed, which is likely to employ 4,000 people, although not all will be new jobs, as some will be relocated from existing training establishments around the UK.
However, it is thought the base will create 1,500 jobs in the wider economy, as well as 1,500 construction jobs generated from building it. Rival bids from RAF Cosford and Blandford in Dorset failed to win the contract.
A second contract, also won by Metrix, will involve training 4,500 members of the Armed Forces, currently spread across 18 sites in the UK.
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