The poor bloody infantry. They can’t win. One minute they are told the Government wants them to walk around in public in their uniforms, the next minute teachers say the military should be banned from classrooms because they are glamorising war and trying to recruit teenagers on the quiet.

All three Armed Forces have presentation teams which, by invitation only, carry out about 1,000 school visits every year. Their objective, as with every other employer, is to raise pupils’ awareness of career possibilities. One concern is to let children know how the Forces fit into society; in other words, they do not exist only to fight in Afghanistan or Iraq, but have a role in Britain, like the police, the fire service and other personnel who are responsible for safeguarding our way of life.

A recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Trust accused the Army of glamorising warfare in its recruiting literature and suggested that children were being lured to join up in the belief that fighting battles was like winning a game on a PlayStation – an accusation denied by the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD’s argument is that a career in the Armed Forces is not something to be ashamed of – indeed, just the opposite – and that it is right and proper for members of the Services to visit schools to spread the word.

Some may argue that the line between “raising career awareness” and recruiting is pretty thin. But the same argument can be made about representatives of business and industry. It’s just that they are not in uniform and have not been asked to take part in unpopular wars.

“We are proud of the work we do with schools and colleges to inform young people about the tremendous work and careers on offer,” Brigadier Andrew Jackson, Commander of the Army Recruiting Group, said yesterday.

Sign here

— Children under 16 are not targeted, the MoD says

— 1,960 female recruits were enlisted from schools, universities, etc during 2006-07

— The manpower shortage across the three Armed Forces is 5,500

— The number of recruits needed by the Army each year is 15,000

— 12,500 officers and noncommissioned officers have left the Army in the past year

— The Army has recruited 69 per cent of its target with a month to go

Source: Times database

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