Graduate skills and the university Armed Service unit experience

This report is about the university armed service unit experience and the development of graduate-level skills amongst participants. Drawing on data collected from the Northumbrian Universities’ Officer Training Corps, Royal Naval Unit and Air Squadron, the research reported here explores the perceptions and experiences of Commanding Officers and participating students of the opportunities that service unit participation offers for the development of skills relevant to the graduate labour market. This question of the value to graduates of the service unit experience is part of a broader question of the utility, purpose and value of the service units to individuals, employers and to the armed forces. There is a dearth of published research on this issue in the UK, and this report is part of an attempt to address that knowledge gap.