A SERIES of events are to be held at JobCentre Plus branches in York and Selby as part of the Army’s new Step Up recruitment campaign, which aims to enlist 10,000 new soldiers over the coming year.

The events at the JobCentre Plus centres in Stonebrow in York and Flaxley Road in Selby will encourage young people to consider a career in the armed forces and dispel the misconception that the Army is not recruiting because of Government spending cuts.

A survey carried out by OnePoll found that only about half of those surveyed knew that the Army was still in search of young recruits. It also showed that only 17 per cent of young people surveyed in Yorkshire and the Humber region were considering enlistment as a career option.

Brig Andrew Jackson, the Army’s director of recruiting and training, said: “Regardless of a prospective recruit’s background, the Army has something to offer you and an Army job provides opportunities to learn much more beyond military skills”.

The clinics will provide information about jobs in the regular British Army and Reserves and allow recruits to speak to serving soldiers about army life. They will be held in York on June 17, 19 and 21 and in Selby on June 24.