More than one million young Britons are now outside work and education, prompting ministers to look for new ways to tackle a growing youth unemployment crisis.
The Labour Government is now encouraging more young people to consider careers in the Armed Forces as a route into stable employment and training.
Defence minister Louise Sandher-Jones has urged those struggling to find work to "seriously" consider military careers, arguing they can offer valuable opportunities that rival traditional university pathways.
The intervention comes after a landmark report found more than one million people aged 16 to 24 are neither in employment nor education, the highest level recorded in 12 years.
Ms Sandher-Jones, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, described the lack of opportunities facing many young people as "outrageous".
Under plans unveiled by Labour in February, job centre employment advisers will receive training at Army and Royal Air Force bases to help them better understand the benefits of military careers.
The initiative is intended to encourage more young people into the Armed Forces while helping to address rising youth unemployment and recruitment shortages.
The military offers apprenticeships from the age of 16, with training available in areas including engineering, healthcare and cyber security.
The initiative is intended to encourage more young people into the Armed Forces
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The Armed Forces currently represent the largest apprenticeship provider in the country, though private sector offerings have declined substantially in recent years.
Ms Sandher-Jones told The Telegraph: "A really key message to get out there to young people is when you're looking at options in front of you, whether it's university or whether you're looking for a trade apprenticeship, really seriously take a look at the Armed Forces."
She emphasised that "the breadth of careers you can go into with the Armed Forces is much broader than people realise."
The state of Britain's armed forces has come under intense scrutiny in recent years | GETTYThe minister singled out the Rolls-Royce apprenticeship scheme as "gold standard," stating she would "take that over a place at Oxbridge any day."
She argued that alternatives to university have historically been poorly communicated, noting: "We have a very clear pathway from school to university, which is great. [But] we don't highlight the benefits that [doing] an apprenticeship can do."
Steven Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, expressed doubt that the policy would significantly reduce youth unemployment figures.
Apprenticeship starts for 16-24 year-olds have dropped by 35 per cent since 2017
| GB NEWS"It feels unlikely this is going to put a big dent in the Neet numbers. We're not going to take on a couple of hundred thousand people in the Army," he said, noting that regular military personnel currently number fewer than 100,000.
A report published Thursday by former health secretary Alan Milburn found apprenticeship starts for 16-24 year-olds have dropped by 35 per cent since 2017.
The same report calculated that youth worklessness costs Britain £125 billion annually, nearly double the entire defence budget.