Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to improve the (a) upskilling and (b) retention once upskilled of service personnel.

Defence training produces highly skilled and effective personnel in a broad range of areas. It should be noted that the Armed Forces are the biggest provider of apprenticeships in the UK. Wherever possible, Defence intertwines this upskilling with apprenticeship schemes, ensuring individuals have evidence of their progress and their expertise is recognised within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and across industry. We are currently working with the Department for Education and HM Treasury to seize the opportunities presented by the Government's apprenticeship reforms, expanding Defence apprenticeships at the higher levels. This expansion will ensure Defence continues to offer education opportunities to match career progression, further aiding retention.

A growing economy with reducing unemployment, growing numbers of job vacancies and a historical national shortage of STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), means the MOD cannot take the retention of its highly skilled Service personnel for granted. In response the Department and each of the Services have put in place a large body of retention-positive measures. These include: developing and improving employment frameworks and career structures to make the most of technical and niche-skilled personnel; improving promotion and career prospects; increasing Extensions of Service; increasing the opportunities to re-train and re-trade; improving the availability of internal transfers between Services and from Regular to Reserve; and targeted Financial Retention Incentives.

In addition to these targeted measures there are also a number of programmes in place that seek to improve the general offer and the support available to all Service personnel.