Military cadets in Lincolnshire are showing why the armed forces could be the answer for Britain’s younger generation.
The cadets have been spending the summer learning new skills and are part of a growing force of 13,000 across the East Midlands and 137,000 nationally.
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From first aid to drone flying, they’re challenging the trend of youth disengagement.
This week, the Minister for Veterans and People, Calvin Bailey MBE MP, visited cadet camps to meet those taking part, and some of the 28,000 adult volunteers that give their time to support the initiative across the UK.
However, new data shows graduate job vacancies dropped to 50 per cent in the past year, with more than a million young people not in employment, education or training.
The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, says providing them with opportunities should be a ‘national priority’.
Speaking to GB News, Calvin Bailey said: “What the kids learn here is leadership. They learn how to manage other people, they learn how to talk and to communicate, and increasingly, all of the things that they’re doing for fun, we’re giving them qualifications for.
“I’ll take as many of them as we can into the military, but you know what? Society will benefit from a lot more robust and resilient young people that benefit from the education and the experience that they have being around other amazing young people.
“As a former Air Cadet, I know first-hand the difference cadets can make to a young person’s life. I learnt to fly a plane before I could drive a car and gained the skills and confidence that shaped my future.”
The Government says it has committed £70 million to grow the cadet forces 30% by 2035, pushing back the original recruitment target of 30% by 2030 five years.
Royal Air Force cadets, Cadet Warrant Officer Zak Damji and Sergeant Matilda Hird, said the programme had given them “opportunities to develop.”
CWO Damji told GB News: “I already had an interest in joining the Royal Air Force as a pilot, I just didn’t know quite how to to get to that stage.
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“The experiences, which are definitely given by our volunteers, have really taught a lot to not just me, but all the other cadets in the organisation.
“It’s actually given us the opportunity to develop and grow into very capable young people.”
Sgt Hird added: “I was looking for something more interesting coming from a small town with not much to actually do.
“I was looking for something to broaden my horizons, and I found the cadets and fell in love with it.
“The opportunities that you can get are something I would never have even imagined as a young child, but here I am, with all these different experiences that have shaped me as a person.”
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