Gen Z are less happy than their parents – and it’s no secret why. Youth unemployment is rising, more youngsters are living with their parents, the cost of living is soaring and social media is cutting off real-world connections.
The Government is mulling a range of measures to tackle the crisis, investing heavily in apprenticeships, launching job interview coaching and even considering a social media ban.
Veterans and People Minister Louise Sandher-Jones, meanwhile, says that young people facing unemployment should “seriously” consider a career in the military. She argues that it upskills youngsters and opens up a range of job opportunities, pointing to “the breadth of careers” available in and out of the military.
Lieutenant Colonel Jules Russell, head of the Army Foundation College (AFC), knows better than most the challenges facing Gen Z.
The college, based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is the only training site in the UK for 16-year-olds to join the military with parental permission, though they can’t be deployed until they turn 18. In a rare interview with The i Paper, he suggests the school could be a “tonic” for the economic and social challenges facing today’s younger generation.
There have been consistent reports that Gen Z are less comfortable, confident or resilient in the workplace, feel overwhelmed and disempowered as a result of global events and have an unhealthy relationship with their phones.
At the AFC, the students are barred from their devices during the day’s activities, and follow a rigid structure with room inspections, physical training and hands-on lessons. Those who have struggled in mainstream schools must retake GCSE English and maths alongside less conventional classes in marksmanship or outdoor survival.
Junior soldiers from AFC’s Alamein Company during an exercise in Northumberland. The exercise comes midway through their year-long training and assesses their field craft and tactical skills (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty)With polls showing just 11 per cent of young Britons would fight for their country – and with the Armed Forces ranking alongside fast-food and delivery firms as the least attractive places for Gen Z to work – it might be surprising to find that the college is frequently oversubscribed.
Russell says he sees hundreds of youngsters arrive at Harrogate glued to screens and lacking self confidence.
“Often, what you’ll see when they arrive is somebody with eyes fairly downcast, more and more nowadays disconnected from the people around them, whilst very connected to their phone and social media and the online world,” he said.
“Then, over the course of their military training you see this fundamental shift. When they’re stood on the parade square at the end, stood to attention, they’re manifesting those differences, stood next to the people they’ve gone through the journey with.”
He adds: “They look at you confidently. As I walk past, they engage me in conversation. I’m a 44 year old man, and these 17 or 16 year olds are willingly asking how my day is and what I’m doing.”
Russell said he recently read a study from psychologists identifying five key factors to youth development for those who have had difficult childhoods – physical fitness, mental learning, offline social connectivity, giving or service, and taking notice or mindfulness.
“We have in our recruited demographic people who’ve got plenty of adverse childhood experiences,” Russell said. “At the Army Foundation College and basic training hits all five of them, not by design, but it might just be why it works, because we’re giving them that opportunity.”
Junior soldiers from the Army Foundation College in Harrogate take to the hills of Otterburn training area during an exercise. (Photo: Mark Owens/ Ministry of Defence)The Army is one of few major employers to accept recruits with no formal qualifications. Many have struggled in conventional education, with nearly 30 per cent of AFC’s intake in 2019 having been excluded.
Russell says that Sandher-Jones’s comments are a positive force in the discussion around youth unemployment.
“If you’re coming from a lack of opportunity and the lack of options, well, the Army is renowned for giving you that in spades,” he said. “You’re well paid, you can develop yourself physically to the point where you can even become an army athlete, you’ll get to see the world, you’ll get to do some really challenging things, and… when you’ve done it, you really do have a sense of purpose.”
The college contributes about 20 per cent of the Army’s annual intake, but former students make up around 50 per cent of warrant officers class 1 – the most senior soldier rank in the Army – which staff there say is evidence of its success.
Junior soldier George Brousby, 17, greets members of his family following his graduation parade (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty)Harrogate’s junior soldiers are paid £1,500 a month, which the Ministry of Defence says makes them “one of the best paid young people in the UK”.
Beyond pay, Russell believes the college can equip the students with crucial employment skills, whether or not they stay in the military. “If they’ve picked up a trade then they can move relatively seamlessly, especially at a young age, from military trades into civilian trades, and go off to become engineers, logisticians,” he said.
But critics accuse the Army of capitalising on youth unemployment, with Emma Sangster of Forces Watch accusing them of “conscription by poverty”.
AFC’s intake comes disproportionately from a lower socio-economic background, with recruits up to twice as likely to originate from the lowest wage-earning quarter than the top quarter.
There have also been allegations of abuse by instructors and junior soldiers, and the college is poor on diversity, with an overwhelmingly male intake and just 4 per cent of recruits coming from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Army said it is working hard to expel all forms of abuse and unacceptable behaviour, and in an assessment, which included welfare, Ofsted rated it “excellent”.
A graduation parade at the college. A recruit’s day starts with morning routine, when they put on uniform, clean their barracks and prepare for inspection (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty)Russell disputes the idea that the Army seeks out vulnerable recruits. “I don’t see the Army targeting those people,” he said. “I see those people just being more likely to want to search out an opportunity that really is going to grow their potential, and the Army can offer them that.”
He does, however, acknowledge it is not for everyone. Some leave the college after finding it isn’t right for them, running into medical problems or family commitments, or being told they won’t graduate because they “don’t match the Army’s values and standards”.
During a visit earlier this year, the College’s most senior soldier, Regimental Sergeant Major Ben Townley, who himself joined the military at 16, told The i Paper that Gen Z “get a really bad name”, with stereotypes of “the PlayStation generation” spending all their time on screens.
“I see the exact opposite,” Townley said. “I see young people here excited to be out and engaging with people socially, working hard and wanting a career in the Army, proud of the country.”
Hence then, the article about my army college for 16 year olds is oversubscribed how we help kids thrive was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( My Army college for 16-year-olds is oversubscribed. How we help kids thrive )
Also on site :
- Nvidia clinches deals with South Korean giants including SK Group to advance AI boom
- Unisound Releases U2: A Native Agentic Large Model Built for Execution, Capable of Autonomously Decomposing and Completing 100+ Steps in Complex Real-World Workflows
- Watch Pink's Incredible Opening Number at the 2026 Tony Awards