2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

168
Of all personnel who leave the Army, those who apply for premature voluntary release
probably provide the most insight into retention issues. Army officers are able to PVR
with a six month notice period, and soldiers are currently required to give twelve
months notice. In some situations it is possible for an individual to leave the Army with
a lesser notice period, although this is determined on a case by case basis, and is
dependent on factors such as the operational commitments of the Army and any return
of service required to repay training investment. Statistics indicate that approximately
40% of those who apply for PVR later withdraw their application. Because the leavers’
questionnaires are anonymous, there is currently no way to determine whether any are
completed and returned by personnel who apply for PVR and subsequently change their
minds.
PVR levels in the Army are slightly higher than those in the other Armed Forces.
Annual PVR rates from the trained strength for the Army are 3.3% of officers, and 5.2%
of soldiers. Within the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, the annual PVR rate for officers is
2.5% and 5.4% for ratings/other ranks, while within the RAF the figures are 2.1% and
4.0% respectively. These rates exclude PVR from training establishments, and are not
an indication of overall attrition. Of the 590 completed leavers’ questionnaires received
by DAPS Science between January 2002 and October 2003, 282 were from personnel
who had applied for PVR. 130 were from personnel who had reached the end of their
engagement/commission, and 44 were from personnel discharged for medical,
administrative or disciplinary reasons. The reason for leaving was missing data in 134
cases.
Of the 282 PVR personnel who returned a questionnaire during the period, 8.5% were
officers and 91.4% were soldiers. Of the total, 83.9% were male and 16.1% were
female. 76.2% were aged 30 or under at the time they completed the questionnaire. The
majority of soldiers were from the lower ranks: privates, lance corporal/bombardiers or
corporals/bombardiers. Unless soldiers buy themselves out, or are discharged for
medical reasons, soldiers serve a minimum of four years. Unsurprisingly therefore, most
of those who applied for PVR had served for between 4 and 7 years, which may explain
the large proportion of soldiers from the lower ranks. Overall, the majority of PVR
personnel had applied for PVR within six months of deciding to leave (37.2%),
compared to 29.4% who waited for between 7 and 12 months and 30.9% who had
waited for more than twelve months before handing in their notice.
In terms of the reasons given for applying to leave the British Army, the majority of
PVR cases said that the decision was related entirely or in part to the impact of the
Army on personal and/or domestic life (81.6%). 80.1% said that the decision was
related entirely, or in part, to general aspects of Army life. 79.1% said that the decision
to leave was related entirely, or in part, to job satisfaction, and 76.2% said that it was
related entirely, or in part, to factors outside the Army. These categories are not
mutually exclusive, and it therefore appears that the reasons why people apply for PVR
are many and varied, even for a single individual.
A number of statements were included within each of these four categories, and PVR
respondents were asked to state which had contributed to, or been critical in, their
decision to leave the Army. Over all four categories, PVR personnel said that the two
most important reasons for leaving the British Army were a feeling that civilian life
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003