UK to offer military ‘gap year’ to give teenagers taste of armed forces

Army barracks could be the new Thailand.

The scheme targets school and college leaver and gives teenagers the chance to get a taste of the armed forces without making a long-term commitment.

As reported by the i Paper, the 'gap year' will be offered to anyone under the age of 25 and aims to solve issues of long-term recruitment and retention issues with the military.

People who take up the offer will be compensated too, being paid for their time.

Applications are set to open in March 2026, with 150 positions available to start with, although this is expected to rise to 1,000 per year.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the scheme would offer young people "incredible skills and training".

Recruits to the programme will not be deployed on active operations, and the content of the courses is still said to be in development.

However, the Conservatives criticised the small number of recruits.

Participants will not be sent on active operations.

Early details reported by the i Paper disclose that the different military branches will offer varying lengths of training.

The Army scheme would last two years, the Navy one year, while the RAF is yet to develop a concrete scheme, saying it is "scoping options".

It is intended that the scheme teach participants transferable skills that can utilised outside of the military, offering pathways into domains such as logistics and engineering.

It is not known how much the recruits would be paid.

The scheme comes as geopolitical tensions, notably between the West and Russia, continue to rise, while younger generations become further disinterested in fighting for their country.

It is hoped such an initiative will be able to work the country closer towards a “whole of society” approach to defence, an idea floated in the Strategic Defence Review released earlier this year.