General Chat

No Way should it end !!!! Keep the age 16 entry. My Grandson went to Harrogate Army Training School when he was 16. It was the making of him. He then did six years in the Regular Army, came out and got a job with a Telecommunications firm. He is now has his own home and a family. Harrogate was the best thing that happened to him.

If its a waste of money to have 16 year olds in the Army and is "wasting up to £94m a year" and should stop then you could argue that the money spent on the Cadet forces is also wasted so do we get rid of Cadets also

Cadet forces are sponsored by the armed forces and they also have separate assets Offices/camp accommodation and the adult cadet staff are paid a similar daily rate of pay to that of the regular soldiers

Where does it stop?

personally if it helps the youth of today i say keep it

Roy

The youth of today are the future

Soldiers today don't sign on as in days gone by, once their initial term think it's 2 or 3 years has expired they are on what's called open engagement (12 months each time) so can give notice at any time.

They should never have ended Boy service, "Junior leaders" where they continued their education in a disciplined environment whilst learning military skills and about life

Roy

As school leaving age rules are raised this will be a possibility together with other work training or further education.

Read the article earlier and got the impression that it was the cost of training them which some people see as a problem.

For some youngsters, it gives them a sense of security and confidence which they may not have experienced in their formative years.
For those reasons alone, the option should be kept.

Do they have the option to leave when they are 18 and eligible for active service?

The outdated practice of recruiting 16-year-olds into the Army is wasting up to £94m a year and should stop, two human rights groups have said.

David Gee, of ForcesWatch, said recruiting under-18s into the Army was, a practice from a bygone era.

On the other side of the argument, one former serviceman said that joining the armed forces as a teenager was "a good thing for young people".

Jason Hardick, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, told the BBC, It gives you self-confidence, self-discipline and a certain self-determination. You never want to fail, you always want to move forward.

He joined two weeks after his 16th birthday, and stayed for 10 years, only leaving to get married. I had a brilliant time, it's a good thing for young people to do and I was the youngest of my intake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22259982

I personally think it is a good opportunity for young people, what do you think?