ABSTRACT
In 1998 the new Labour government announced its Strategic Defence Review. 1 In Chapter Six “A Policy for People” 2 it laid out its plans to “enhance the attractiveness of a Service career”. This involved increasing the emphasis on vocational training and education by the use of new schemes that would be closely linked to the Department for Education and Employment’s “Learning Age” proposals. Supporting Essay Nine – “A Policy for People” fleshed out the proposals admitting that the main thrust behind the new emphasis on training and education was to improve recruiting and retention. The “Learning Forces” initiative, as it is called, would aim to provide “better opportunities for personal development linked to academic, vocational and professional qualifications”. 3 Substantial sums of money would be provided to fund this initiative which would be “based upon the following principles:
competence in key skills, related to national targets and rank/employment;
the opportunity to gain recognised and transferable qualifications;
funding for learning activities during and after service;
provision of Personal Development Records;
access to information, advice and modern learning facilities, irrespective of rank, age, employment or location;
return the individual to the civilian workplace with added value”. 4
