Training has continued to improve this year with no
establishments found to be inadequate. 11 of the establishments
visited were graded good or outstanding and one was found to
require improvement.
Read the full report: Welfare and duty of care
in Armed Forces initial training 2023 to 2024
In all but one establishment, recruits, trainees and OCdts benefited from excellent or good
quality training and very effective care and welfare
arrangements. This means that trainees are very well prepared for
their next phase of training or to start their first military
job.
However, inspectors did find that trainees are spending too much
time in holdover, which is where one training course has finished
and another has yet to start. This is especially true for trainee
pilots and aircrew – in the worst cases, trainee pilots are
waiting several years to start their flying training. Trainees
report that this delay affects not just their careers but their
motivation and personal lives.
Where trainees must wait to start their next phase of training,
all services need to ensure that trainees are engaged in
meaningful activities that maintains their morale while
continuing to develop their military and specialist skills.
As in previous years, inspectors continued to find problems with
infrastructure and facilities. While improvements have been made
the standard of trainee accommodation continues to be poor in
some establishments.
Ofsted has issued several recommendations for the MoD, including:
-
Urgently improve the infrastructure of the training estate,
especially any accommodation where trainees are living in
unacceptable and/or deteriorating conditions.
-
Minimise the time that trainees spend in holdover, especially
trainee pilots and aircrew from all 3 services in flying
training, so that they can complete their training as quickly
and efficiently as possible and start their first military
jobs.
-
Engage trainees in holdover in meaningful activities that
maintain their morale and continue to develop their military
and specialist skills and knowledge.
-
Give all new recruits uniform and equipment that fit them
properly, including military backpacks and body armour, so
that they can participate fully in training.
Ofsted's Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver said:
“I am delighted to present my first MoD welfare report as His Majesty's
Chief Inspector, and I am impressed with the hard work and
diligence that my inspectors have seen over the last year.
“I congratulate commanding officers, and their staff. Military
and civilian staff work hard to train and care for recruits,
trainees and OCdts, sometimes
despite poor infrastructure and resources.
“I urge senior personnel in the Ministry of Defence and in
government to respond swiftly and decisively to the
recommendations we have made.”
Notes
Inspectors visited 11 initial training establishments, 5
University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC) units (in a
combined inspection) and the UOTCheadquarters at
the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
