Defense started a trial in September in which 35 young people do a so-called ‘serving year’. The idea is that young people work for a year in the armed forces during a gap year after secondary school or during or after their further education. During that period, participants are trained and ultimately fulfill a military function, writes State Secretary Christophe van der Maat (Defence, VVD). Tuesday in a letter to the House of Representatives. In the long run, the State Secretary hopes that about a thousand young people a year will do a serving year.
The program should offer an ‘innovative’ and voluntary form of service. The hope is that this year will resolve some of the staff shortages in the defense sector, and that some entrants will also be given a position after the year as a professional soldier, reservist or civilian. For ‘ambitious young people’, Van der Maat writes, this year should be a ‘wanted quality mark’ on the curriculum vitae.
Defense has been struggling with personnel shortages for years. Last spring, the Ministry of Defense concluded that the number of employees in the armed forces grew by 2 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year – from 66,000 to 67,300 FTEs – but that this increase is also insufficient to solve the shortages. Two-thirds of the Defense workforce consists of military personnel (whether or not in training) and also civilians and reservists. As of November 1, interested parties can register for the next batch of the year, which starts in September next year.
Also read: With a ‘voluntary conscription’ the armed forces can grow considerably