Client: British Army
The task: to change the negative perceptions to positive perceptions of people of Ethnic Minority background held about the British Army
The British Army were struggling to recruit new recruits from an Ethnic Minority background between the ages from 16 years to 18 years old. The potential recruits were keen to join the BA, but many of their Parents/Guardians were refusing to sign the consent forms, because many held negative perceptions of the British Army.
The British Army and Parents/Guardians were at an impasse. The Army had been given a directive from the British Government for new recruits from an ethnic minority background from the ages of 16 years to 18 years to make up a certain percentage of the total of all new recruits into the British Army over a period of time.
The BA’s recruitment model was one size fits all, and the potential recruits from ethnic minorities backgrounds were happy with it, however their parents and guardians were the opposite and didn’t consent.
The British Government invited external help in the form of consultants to aid the British Army with their campaign to achieve the required figures for new recruits from ethnic minority backgrounds. D & V Associates were asked to work with the British Army in West Yorkshire.
Our primary role was to produce progress reports on a fortnightly basis, under the command of an Army Major from York Army Barracks. We met with all the army personnel involved in the British Army recruitment process. As part of our research into the BA recruitment model, we also met with schools, colleges, teachers and parents/guardians, and included them in the activities of the BA’s recruitment process.
This allowed us to understand the perceptions and feelings ethnic minority parents/guardians had of the British Army, and gave us the opportunity to inform them of the opportunities and policies of the British Army.
Thus, with all the relevant information collected from all sides, we were able to create a bespoke recruitment process model for new recruits of ethnic minority backgrounds to join the British Army. This was done without deviating or affecting the primary reason the British Government wanted a higher percentage of new recruits of ethnic minority backgrounds better represented within the British Army, and ensured the voices of parents/guardians were listened to and their concerns considered.
As a result of our new recruitment process, the parents/guardians negative perceptions of the British Army turned into a positive one, as both the British Army and ethnic minority parents/guardians had a greater understanding of each other. Consequently, the British Army achieved the recruitment targets for new recruits of ethnic minority background between the age of 16 years to 18 years old set by the British Government.
