The British Army has admitted to a major administrative error which saw more than 200 junior soldiers placed on the wrong training course at the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate.
Around 210 recruits, including those training for the Parachute Regiment, were affected after being mistakenly assigned to the short 20-week course rather than the longer 40-week programme. The error was discovered three weeks into basic training.
In a letter sent to parents, Lieutenant Colonel Jules Russell, commanding officer at Harrogate, confirmed:
“Some of the junior soldiers who arrived at the Army Foundation College Harrogate in September are not on the course they were expecting to be on… however, an error has occurred so that some junior soldiers have been loaded onto the wrong course.”
The mistake means some recruits, many aged just 16 or 17, will see their initial training period doubled. The MoD has said those affected will now be reassigned to the correct courses and placed into new platoons and companies.
Communication Breakdown
According to defence sources, the blunder occurred because the Army failed to inform Capita, the outsourcing firm responsible for recruitment, about a change in requirements.
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, described it as a “most unfortunate administrative mistake,” adding:
“It should not have happened and someone will get a wrap over the knuckles. More importantly, all the junior soldiers should now be moved onto their correct courses, if that has not already happened.”
Impact on Recruits
The college, which trains 1,300 young soldiers each year, offers both military training and the chance to complete school qualifications such as GCSEs in Maths and English.
Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, a former Army Colonel, said the error would be “a big blow” for those affected.
“If you’re one of those boys and girls, it must be a complete pain and really difficult… but as an old soldier, I’d probably say, ‘that’s a real test. You’re going to face far more difficult things in combat.’”
Despite the disruption, the Army insists the mistake will not affect the recruits’ chances of success.
An MoD spokesperson said:
“The Army has identified the errors made in assigning junior soldiers’ courses at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate, and is working rapidly to rectify the situation. Urgent steps have been taken to investigate the cause of the issue and ensure it does not happen again.”
The September intake at Harrogate had been seen as a success after the college exceeded its recruitment target, making the blunder particularly damaging.
