“Change is the only constant”. Heraclitus’ aphorism has endured for 2,500 years, but never has it been more apposite than it is today. The pace of change is now such that technologies and even whole industries can develop, proliferate and be superseded well within a single working lifetime. This is why lifelong learning has never been more important. To survive and to thrive in such an environment, humans must develop the ability and the confidence to learn constantly. Lifelong learning enables us not just to respond to change but to influence it for the better.
This is of particular importance to us in the Army. We operate in a highly contested and fast-moving environment which makes huge cognitive demands on our people. They are our point of difference. Lifelong learning is a critical component in our ability to make more of them and do more for them in the pursuit of operational advantage in an increasingly complex and technologically advanced battlespace. The Strategic Defence Review 2025 sets out a bold transformation agenda for the British Army emphasising the need to harness the exceptional talent of its people and to operate as an integrated force within NATO and alongside allies. Now more than ever, we need individuals who can think independently and act decisively. We need them to be mentally and physically robust, cognitively diverse and intellectually curious. Lifelong learning helps us develop such people.
Beyond the operational imperative, there is also societal one. The Army serves as a powerful accelerator of social mobility. Around 7,000 people leave the Army every year, virtually all of them still at working age and most with the majority of their working lives still ahead of them. At the last census there were nearly a million UK armed forces veterans of working age. Through structured learning, qualifications, and leadership development, we enable our people – regardless of background – to build meaningful careers within the Service. When they transition to the civilian workforce, they do so equipped not only with the habit of learning, but also with the knowledge, skills, experience, behaviours and qualifications to thrive.
In short, lifelong learning not only enhances our operational capability but also supports social mobility, retention, and the development of adaptable leaders who can thrive in multi-domain operations.
Collaboration with our civilian partners is an important factor in our drive towards a culture of lifelong learning. Much of our recent learning and development work is based on research conducted by Learning and Work Institute. On average we have over 13,000 of our people on apprenticeships at any one time, all of them delivered through civilian partners. The Army Accreditation Offer provides our junior and middle leaders with civilian recognition of their learning through City and Guilds, ILM and CMI (fellow supporters of Get the Nation Learning). The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme, a collaboration between the NCO Academy and the University of Staffordshire, is so successful that it is about to expand to provide a route to MBA (Exec) for senior NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers). The Army Higher Education Programme (run in collaboration with the University of Reading) offers a pathway to undergraduate and Masters’ degrees, while our external academic placement programme offers the opportunity for selected individuals to take their learning to the highest very highest levels. We are particularly proud of Staff Sergeant Bradley Mortin, who has recently graduated with an MPhil from the University of Cambridge having joined the Army with no GCSEs.
We are delighted to have joined the Get the Nation Learning campaign, and we encourage others to do likewise. By collaborating across sectors, sharing ideas and providing opportunities for adults to learn, the campaign’s growing community of supporters has a unique opportunity to improve our society and economy.
Colonel Alex Burt, Assistant Head Learning and Development, British Army Headquarters