As college graduates step into an uncertain labor market, the U.K.’s Chief of Defence, Sir Richard Knighton, has issued a compelling call to action. Amid escalating tensions with Russia, Knighton has urged young citizens, including teenagers and graduates, to consider careers in the defence sector. His message is clear: the nation’s security “cannot be outsourced to the armed forces alone,” and the demand for skilled professionals in defence is urgent.
Speaking at a Royal United Services Institute event in Westminster, Knighton stressed the need for a robust defence industry capable of meeting both domestic and allied requirements. “Building this industrial capacity also means we need more people who leave schools and universities to join that industry,” he said. His appeal extended to parents and educators, urging them to guide young people toward careers in defence. “We need defence and political leaders to explain the importance of the industry to the nation, and we need schools and parents to encourage children and young adults to take up careers in the industry.”
To back up this rallying cry, the U.K. government is investing £50 million ($66.7 million) into new defence technical excellence colleges (TECs). These institutions will train teenagers as young as 16 in military technology, addressing a critical skills gap in engineering and ensuring that graduates have better employment prospects. This initiative is part of a broader £965 million strategy to place 50,000 young people in jobs across critical fields, including AI, engineering, and hospitality.
The labour market for Gen Z graduates in the U.K. is particularly challenging. Youth unemployment has surged to its highest rate in over a decade, with 16% of 16 to 24-year-olds jobless as of October. The competition for graduate roles is fierce, with 1.2 million applications submitted for just 17,000 positions in 2023/2024, according to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE). This stark contrast to previous years, where 559,959 candidates were interviewed for 19,646 roles in 2021/2022, highlights the dire need for alternative career pathways.
Rob Breare, CEO of Malvern College International, noted the growing disparity between the number of graduates and available jobs. “There are many graduates now that are coming out of universities, which means that there are more people that are graduating necessarily for the jobs that are there,” he said at the Fortune Global Forum conference in October.
As white-collar jobs remain scarce, the government’s push for Gen Z to consider careers in the defence sector could provide a much-needed lifeline. The £50 million investment in defence technical excellence colleges is a strategic move to develop in-demand skills and secure employment for young professionals. This initiative, coupled with the broader £965 million strategy, signals a shift in the U.K.’s approach to youth employment, challenging the norm that office jobs are the only viable career path.
For Gen Z, pivoting from the competitive corporate job hunt to the defence sector could offer greater opportunities and job security. As the U.K. government expands its defence capabilities, young professionals may find themselves at the forefront of a new era in national security and industrial innovation.