Army recruiting stalled after £1bn computer fiasco
ARMY recruitment has been delayed because a new computer system is not working two months after the Ministry of Defence paid £1.3billion for it.
This weekend the MoD launched a new £3million recruitment drive with a series of short films aimed at reaching out to a broader base of applicants.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that some applicants have been unable to complete their online registration, with training delayed for some Sandhurst recruits. “Interest in applying for the Armed Forces is still high, but problems with the computer system mean that some applicants cannot complete the online registration,” an MoD source told The Telegraph. “This has led to a decline in the number of completed applications.”
Since the system went live on Nov 13 last year documents due to be received by Sandhurst recruits have been delayed, forcing staff to sending thousands of emails manually in order to help applicants activate their accounts.
“The computer system is still not at full functionality, but it is constantly being improved and we expect that it will be fully operational in four to six weeks,” the source said. “The system’s performance has improved considerably over the last month.”
Recruitment television adverts aired yesterday advertise the “unique lasting bonds of friendship” found in the Army and replace a campaign boasting of the skills soldiers can learn.
The disruption has increased concerns that the MoD will struggle to fill vacancies at a time when the regular Army is several thousand under strength. The Army is supposed to be 82,000 strong, having been cut from 102,000 earlier in the decade. The latest figures show it is around 77,500.
An MoD spokesman said: “As with any new information system defects have been identified post ‘Go Live’. Defence expects Capita to address these issues as soon as possible and improvements are already being delivered.”