HUNDREDS of Army recruits are heading back to college to be equipped with all the basic skills for life.
The latest batch of soldiers to complete their six months of basic infantry training are now in the classroom at Darlington College at Catterick on an intensive literacy course.
The two-week course enables recruits, aged 17 to 24, to achieve a higher level of basic skills, and attendance is mandatory as the Army believes proficiency in reading and writing is a key element of operational effectiveness.
Foreign and Commonwealth recruits, usually from Fiji and Jamaica, are also taking the courses, including helping some with their skills in English.
As many as four in five of the group may have varying degrees of dyslexia.
Some soldiers also attend the literacy course while recovering from injury or medical problems sustained during training. Once the soldiers are deemed fit, they rejoin their military training course.
The most recent group played host to a special visitor when the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Don Touhig, dropped by to have a look around the college while visiting the garrison.
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