Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Armed Forces: Social Mobility

Monday 3 February 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chris Evans asked about the difficulty of gaining a commission without a university degree.
  • The Minister responded that the military is more accessible than ever for people without degrees.
  • The Minister emphasized that applicants are judged based on what they can bring to the organisation, irrespective of their background.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chris Evans Labour (Co-op) Ruislip-Northwood
Defence
Context

With rising university costs, many individuals may consider joining the armed forces as an alternative career path. However, gaining a commission without a university degree remains challenging.

Question

Given that it is difficult for someone to gain a commission if they do not have a university degree, particularly from Oxford or Cambridge, with 18% of commissioned officers holding such degrees, how will the Minister change things to ensure people who join the forces without a degree can still get a commission in future?

Answer from Johnny Mercer (Minister of State for Defence) (Con)

The military has become more accessible than ever before for people without a degree. Every applicant is judged on what they can bring and add to the organisation, irrespective of their background. While some individuals like myself did not have a degree, we consistently work on making the armed forces more inclusive.

Answered
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