Overview
- An initial cohort of about 150 under‑25s will be recruited in early 2026 for a year of paid experience and training across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
- Participants will not deploy on active operations and face no obligation to stay on, with the programme focused on transferable skills such as logistics, engineering, supply‑chain work and leadership.
- Service plans include an Army track with 13 weeks’ basic training within a two‑year placement, a one‑year ‘profession‑agnostic’ Royal Navy option, and an RAF pathway still being scoped.
- Ministers aim to expand the scheme to more than 1,000 places subject to interest and evaluation, while pay and long‑term funding have not been announced; some media report pay could align with basic recruit salaries, which remains unconfirmed.
- The initiative draws on Australia’s ADF Gap Year model—664 enrolled there in 2023 with just over half going permanent—and follows calls by defence leaders for broader public engagement as the UK tackles recruitment shortfalls.