16-year-olds 'shun' RAF and Royal Navy 11.09.12
21The RAF and Royal Navy seem to be struggling to recruit school leavers.
They managed to recruit just twenty 16-year-olds between them last year, down from several hundred each in 2008.
But the Ministry of Defence denies there is a problem, saying recruitment targets are being met.
In a statement the MOD said: "It would be completely misleading to make any assumptions about the popularity of our Armed Forces based on the recruitment of 16-year-olds. Figures for 2011/12 actually show that the Royal Navy successfully met its recruitment target for ratings and the RAF successfully achieved 98 per cent of its recruitment target for airmen.
"As we reconfigure our Armed Forces to become a more balanced, capable and adaptable military power, slowing recruitment is just one of the ways to reach our required manning numbers. There is also a wider government push for young people to stay in education until they are 18 which has raised the average age at which people join the Services.
"Recruiting continues unabated for all the Services who are always looking for enthusiastic, determined and committed young people with the right qualifications to fulfil challenging roles within our Armed Forces."