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Why an army education is hard not to admire Why an army education is hard not to admire
(about 1 hour later)
"We don't really say too much," said Bradley Floyd, 17, about his friends who he hangs out with on leave, back home in Surrey. Floyd has been at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, for a year and just completed his phase one of training. On Thursday morning, they had their graduation ceremony; timeless pomp, unchanged over centuries (maybe with better transport links). "But I think they thought: 'He's got balls to do it.' Especially when you get to the training regiment, you're expected to be like a grownup, not a child. You've joined the army. You haven't joined a school." "We don't really say too much," said Bradley Floyd, 17, about the friends he hangs out with on leave, back home in Surrey. He has been at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, for a year and just completed phase one of training.
On Thursday morning, they had their graduation ceremony; timeless pomp, unchanged over centuries (maybe with better transport links). "But I think they thought: 'He's got balls to do it.' Especially when you get to the training regiment, you're expected to be like a grownup, not a child. You've joined the army. You haven't joined a school."
Daniel Sanderson, 16, also graduating, agreed, of his school friends: "I think I've grown up a lot quicker and faster than them."Daniel Sanderson, 16, also graduating, agreed, of his school friends: "I think I've grown up a lot quicker and faster than them."
There's something anachronistic about this idea, boys of 16 and 17, training for combat, in a world where the direction of travel is to fight wars by remote control and "boots on the ground" are a last resort even now, never mind in 10 years. There's something anachronistic about boys of 16 training for combat when war is by remote control and "boots on the ground" are, even now, a last resort, never mind in 10 years. Once we pull out of Afghanistan, this will be the first year Britain will not be at war after a century of unbroken warfare. Defence spending is being cut; 2014 will see the last of three tranches of redundancies to reduce the regular army from 102,000 to 82,000 (to add context, the biggest single employer is the NHS, with nearly 900,000 staff; so the army isn't vast, but it's significant).
This is the first year in a century of unbroken warfare that, once we pull out of Afghanistan, Britain will not be at war with anyone. Defence spending is being cut; 2014 will see the last of three tranches of redundancies, the aim being to reduce the regular army from 102,000 to 82,000 (in context, the biggest single employer is the NHS, with nearly 900,000 staff; so the army isn't vast, but it's significant). It is not a boomtime for war, but that doesn't trouble any of these new recruits. As Sanderson says confidently, "I hope to see some active service. I think something will always be going on somewhere in the world." It is not a boom time for war, but that doesn't trouble these recruits. As Sanderson says confidently: "I hope to see some active service. I think something will always be going on somewhere in the world."
This whole business swarms with anachronisms that are both subtler and more profound than the idea of training for war in a roboticised future. I don't just mean that, before we could do the phone interviews, the room had to be cleared of ceremonial swords (though that's a first). This whole business swarms with anachronisms that are subtler and more profound than the idea of training for war in a roboticised future. I don't just mean that, before we could do the phone interviews, the room had to be cleared of ceremonial swords.
All these trainees came out of school with not much to speak of, GCSE-wise – Sanderson couldn't remember how many he'd taken, Bradley Ellington, 17, "left school with nothing", and Floyd – who won best junior soldier from the intake, "didn't do any GCSEs whatsoever". After only a year (in Sanderson's case, six months), they have all come out with level-2 English, maths and IT qualifications (these are half a GCSE at grade B), and they all speak glowingly of the whole experience, about which they noticeably do not about school. All these trainees came out of school with not much to speak of, GCSE-wise. Sanderson couldn't remember how many he'd taken. Bradley Ellington, 17, "left school with nothing" and Floyd, who won best junior soldier in his intake, "didn't do any GCSEs whatsoever". After only a year (in Sanderson's case, six months), they all have level 2 English, maths and IT qualifications, and they all speak glowingly of the experience, which they noticeably do not about school.
"I'm quite chuffed with that," said Floyd, about his level-2s. "The teachers are a lot more relaxed, it's a good teaching environment. They treat you like adults who want to learn." Ellington added: "It was more one-to-one with the tutor. If you're struggling with something, he can help you because there's not so many people in the classroom". "I'm quite chuffed with that," said Floyd of his level 2s. "The teachers are a lot more relaxed, it's a good teaching environment. They treat you like adults who want to learn." Ellington added: "It was more one to one with the tutor. If you're struggling with something, he can help you because there's not so many people in the classroom".
Noticeably, they have a lot of what careers people confusingly call "soft skills", which are about confidence and toughness; they don't mumble. They don't give one-word answers, or the impression that they wish the conversation was over. They don't really seem like teenagers anymore. Penny Veale, the regional press officer, explained about the teaching: "The lessons mean more here, because if they're setting them a maths problem, it might be 'you've so much space to fill, how many jerry cans can you fit in it?' It will be pertinent to what they will actually need." And this is a noted element of adult literacy and numeracy, that it is more tailored to practical application, and those techniques were partly learned from the way they teach in the army. Noticeably, they have a lot of what careers people confusingly call "soft skills", which are about confidence and toughness; they don't mumble. They don't give one-word answers, or the impression that they wish the conversation was over. They don't really seem like teenagers any more. Penny Veale, the regional press officer, explained: "The lessons mean more here because, if they're setting them a maths problem, it might be 'you've so much space to fill, how many jerry cans can you fit in it?' It will be pertinent to what they will actually need."
This has been going on for years, that people – especially people without money –would do national service in return for an education. It's interesting that, for all the improvements in access to secondary and higher education, this route still suits some people better than any other. Or maybe access hasn't improved as much as we think. This is a noted element of adult literacy and numeracy, that it is tailored to practical application, and those techniques were partly learned from the way they teach in the army. It has been going on for years. People – especially people without money – do national service in return for an education. It's interesting that, for all the improvements in access to education, this route still suits some people better. Or maybe access hasn't improved as much as we think.
They talk about classrooms, they talk about mud (another ageless skill that the modern world cannot replace, the ability to crawl through mud), and they talk about friendship. "It's a lot different to civvy street because you're doing everything together, you're bashing together, you don't leave your mate's side, literally it's like you're glued together. You bond really well, if you've got a good selection of lads. You do bond," said Floyd. "The friendships here are just unbelievable," Ellington agreed, describing an inclusivity in which differences, being inevitable, are taken as an advantage. "There can be some childish people, and some grownup people. But when everyone's at a low, the childish people seem to cheer everyone up." The recruits talk about classrooms, they talk about mud (another ageless skill that the modern world cannot replace – the ability to crawl through mud) and they talk about friendship.
There's a careers adage that the jobs teenagers will end up doing haven't even been invented yet. Whereas these teens are training for possibly the first job ever devised by man. While I hate that maudlin respect for violence there's something anti-modern in the fellowship and the pride in adulthood, something determined and difficult not to admire. "It's a lot different to civvy street because you're doing everything together, you're bashing together, you don't leave your mate's side, literally it's like you're glued together. You bond really well, if you've got a good selection of lads. You do bond," said Floyd.
"The friendships here are just unbelievable," Ellington agreed, describing an inclusivity in which differences, being inevitable, are an advantage. "There can be some childish people, and some grownup people. But when everyone's at a low, the childish people seem to cheer everyone up."
There's a careers adage that the jobs teenagers will end up doing haven't even been invented yet. Whereas these teens are training for possibly the first job ever devised by man. While I hate that maudlin respect for violence, there's something anti-modern in the fellowship and the pride in adulthood, something determined and difficult not to admire.