Junior soldiers pass-out at Harrogate

Hundreds of teenagers were put through their paces during a passing-out parade in Harrogate today.

More than 400 Junior Soldiers marched off to a new career with their chosen regiments after graduating from the Army Foundation College in Penny Pot Lane.

Some 22 Junior Soldiers were presented with prestigious trophies by the Army’s Adjutant-General, Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Berragan, while the remaining 435 held their heads high after gaining educational qualifications to set them off to a bright future.

“It’s not just about giving the Junior Soldiers basic military training,” said the college’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Oz Lane.

“Many of the teenagers have struggled with mainstream education and have left high school with few, if any, qualifications. At the Army Foundation College they have an opportunity to get those qualifications and get enthused about learning.

Educational achievements

Lt Col Lane added: “And it works, as the latest statistics prove. Of those that started the 42-week-long course in March 2014, 67 per cent of the Junior Soldiers had Level One English or below. Level One is equivalent to a GCSE grade D-G.

“On graduation, 100 per cent of the Junior Soldiers had achieved Level One, while 86 per cent had gained a Level Two qualification. That’s the equivalent of a GCSE A*-C. We have also had a tremendous success rate with maths, with 62 per cent of the teenagers arriving with Level One or below. On graduation, 95 per cent achieved Level One and 68 per cent Level Two.

“That achievement, alongside their military training, is simply immense.”

The Army Foundation College offers two courses for aspiring young soldiers – a 42-week-long course that leads to Phase Two training in the Infantry, Royal Artillery and Royal Armoured Corps.

There is also a shorter, 22-week course for Junior Soldiers from other cap badges, who will then go on to receive more specialist technical training with their new units.

Both courses provide a unique combination of basic military and vocational training to the Junior Soldiers.

The graduation parade at Uniacke Barracks was the finale of that training and was watched by thousands of relatives and friends.

Addressing the 457 Junior Soldiers on parade, the Adjutant-General, Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Berragan, said:

“Remember, as you leave here today, that this is not the end of your training, nor even the beginning of the end. It’s just the end of the beginning…”