Today, the UK Ministry of Defence announced a major new initiative to provide 50,000 work experience opportunities for 18-24-year-olds across the UK defence sector.
Ahead of the announcement, industry leaders joined Secretary of State for Defence, The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP at ADS offices for a signing ceremony and roundtable discussion. Conversations focused on…
- Expanding routes into apprenticeships
- Providing more work experience opportunities
- Signposting unsuccessful candidates to other defence careers
- Increasing career engagement by 2035
The commitment comes ahead of Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work report this autumn, which highlights the vital role work experience plays in helping young people develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed.
With 75% of the defence sector’s footprint located outside London and the South East, our industry offers life-changing career opportunities for young people right across the UK. We look forward to seeing this commitment open doors for the next generation of talent.
Paul Oxley, ADS Skills Director General, said:
“With an industry presence spanning the entire length and breadth of the UK—where 75% of our footprint sits outside of London and the South East—the defence sector offers huge, life-changing career potential for young people everywhere, across a vast and exciting range of skill sets.
It has been our absolute pleasure to work in partnership with the Ministry of Defence in drafting the upcoming Defence Jobs Plan. A core focus of this plan will be bringing to life how industry and government work hand-in-hand to fulfil the ambitions and aspirations set out in today’s pledge, securing a prosperous future for the next generation of talent.”
