High levels of employment in the UK mean that the armed forces are having to compete ever harder to attract high quality school-leaver and graduate recruits
The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm is launching a campaign to recruit more high-calibre candidates.
The Fleet Air Arm has around 6,200 staff and 250 aircraft. But recruitment officer Lt Cdr Simon Sparkes says research shows 80% of people surveyed did not realise the navy has its own aircraft and crew.
"Unlike the RAF we don't have air bases all over the country and we don't get enough candidates coming forward. Employment levels are so high and we are competing against everyone else for the young people coming out of school."
The recruitment campaign is being run online and through the media, career fairs and air shows. This year Sparkes hopes to take the campaign into schools as well.
The Fleet Air Arm employs people in a wide range of aircrew and engineering roles, including pilots, observers, aircrew officers, air traffic controllers, engineer officers, aircraft handlers and engineering technicians.
People training as observers or pilots can credit their training modules towards a BSc in Aviation from the UK's Open University.
Around 400 engineers are hired each year, but there are fewer aircrew vacancies. About 45 new pilots, 45 observers (air combat systems officers) and six traffic controllers are accepted annually.
UK applicants for these positions must be aged 17-26 and have five good GCSE passes, including maths and English. The selection process is tough and fewer than one in four people are accepted.
Lt Rebecca Martin has just completed two and half years training to become a Lynx observer and says the course was difficult. "You go through quite a lot to even be accepted. You need to have determination and dedication. I really found it quite challenging. Anybody who says they didn't find it hard is probably lying."
Only about half the people who start training to be pilots complete the course successfully, although most who leave the programme stay in the navy in other roles.
It takes three and half years to train as a helicopter pilot with a further six months for jet pilots. Sparkes said only 10% of pilots will learn how to fly jets and there is a lot of competition for the jobs.
Lt Richard Dixon has been in the navy for nine years and has just finished training as a Lynx pilot. "My brother was in the navy and that's what started me looking into it. I found out that the navy flew and the more I looked into it the more it appealed. I liked the variety.
"As a flying job I doubt you would find anything more challenging or varied. There are so many different routes you can take within the navy."
Source: Flight International