SOLDIER RECRUITMENT TO THE BRITISH ARMY - A SPATIAL AND SOCIAL METHODOLOGY FOR ANALYSIS AND MONITORING

This article reports on the findings of a study undertaken for the Army Eastern District into applications and recruitment in the county of Essex. The data were for one year, 4 January 1988-3 January 1989, and were taken from the 951 DAR1 forms of young people who applied to join the Army. The data were entered and manipulated using INGRES and SPSS-X and the mapping, based on POSTCODE/Grid Referencing, used the GIMMS 5.1 computer mapping package. The study established the feasibility of creating applications/recruitment databases for monitoring the recruitment process. It also demonstrated the value of social and spatial analysis in gaining an understanding of where applicants and recruits come from and their relationship to the local pool of young people (data available from the National Census). This type of information is essential for the development of management information systems to ensure cost effective targeting of recruitment resources. The report recommends the extension of the methodology in a full-scale study and also highlights the need for a greater understanding of young people's aspirations and attitudes to both civilian and armed forces jobs.