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Jobseekers to become cannon fodder???
I kid ye not, the Guardian carrying a story that long-term unemployed to be sent for training with the army….
A pilot scheme in which long-term unemployed people take part in a month-long training programme run by the army could be rolled out nationally after it caught the attention of ministers, according to the army’s website. The pilot project, which is “aimed at building self-esteem and skills”, has been completed by 31 people in two towns in the West Midlands, producing “excellent results”, according to the army.
Of 18 volunteers in Telford, 10 have subsequently applied to join the army reserve, and of 13 participants in Stoke-on-Trent, three have applied to join the regular army, four to join the army reserve and one to become a reserve officer. Other areas identified for similar projects are Wolverhampton, Coventry and Walsall in the West Midlands.
The military has been stepping up other efforts to encourage jobless people to enlist. At the start of the year it launched a campaign called More than Meets the Eye with a series of recruitment clinics at jobcentres. Thousands of regular soldiers are being made redundant under cost-cutting plans by the Ministry of Defence, which envisages the army of the future being much more reliant on reserves.
The Spear (Supporting People into Employment with the Army Reserve) programme is run in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, Job Enterprise Training, Stoke College and Telford College of Arts and Technology.
To read the whole article, see Army training scheme for long-term unemployed may be extended
The Ministry of Defence has categorically denied the formation of a new regiment known as the Shirkers Regiment with a rottweiler as regimental mascot and a photo of a can of white lightning as the regimental logo. A spokesman said “this is a vicious calumny on a fine body of men and women who have proudly served their country over the years, often at the cost of huge personal sacrifice”. He continued, “we are proud to give the unemployed a chance to serve their country and to provide them with an opportunity to play a vital role in the nation’s defence. Jobseekers are very welcome into our ranks and will be dispersed throughout different regiments according to wherever they are needed most. After all those latrines are not going to clean themselves”.
Any future enemy will no doubt be terrified once they learn that many in the British ranks have been specially selected by Telford College of Arts and Technology.
Is there much call for unemployed beauty therapists, nail technicians (that’s manicurists to you and me), sociologists and media studies graduates in the armed forces? It’ll be nice that we can give our enemies (whoever they are?) a makeover before we bore them to death. It’ll save a fortune on ammo’.