'Military academies' could tackle NEETs

11 January 2012

The UK should develop a series of 'military academies' run by armed forces personnel, including reservists, in order to boost education in areas where many young people are not in employment, education or training (NEET), according to a Conservative thinktank.

The proposal comes from a report by ResPublica, which suggests a pilot scheme of 10 military academies should be set up in areas with a high concentration of NEET youngsters.

The academies would create opportunities and "change the cultural and moral outlook of those currently engulfed by hopelessness and cynicism", the report said.

ResPublica called for the academies to be 'officially backed' by the armed forces and delivered by cadet associations, and says they should promote "skills and discipline".

The new academies should be developed by the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education, the report said.

The paper also suggests that the schools could help boost the reserve forces' intake in future.

"The programme would create an additional incentive for joining the UK's Reserve Forces by providing significant employment opportunities and a clear career path for those considering membership," the report said.

ResPublica founder Philip Blond said that similar schemes had already been proposed by the Education Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.

"Both Michael Gove and Nick Clegg have highlighted the value of military training - Mr Gove in calling for boot camps for expelled children and Nick Clegg's summer camps - but the government must be much bolder," he said.

''Why should the benefits of military discipline and training be limited to a handful of children excluded from mainstream schools, or just two weeks a year? If the government is serious about harnessing the expertise and ethos of the armed forces, then they must be far more radical.''