£10k pay for Army fast track training: Intense course includes jungle warfare training

The recruits will be transformed into fully-trained infantrymen with nearly six months of intensive training.

The training will include a two-week exercise in Croatia and six weeks in the Kenyan bush learning the skills of jungle warfare and taking part in full attacks using live rounds and grenades.

They will be paid up to £500 a week – including pay and bonuses – during basic training. They will then go on to a trained soldier's daily rate while serving with a unit from the Army Reserve, formerly the Territorial Army.

It is the first scheme of its kind to be run by the British Army and is being organised by the 4th Battalion the Mercian Regiment (4Mercian) – an Army Reserve unit with its headquarters in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton. Details of the project are still being finalised, but it is expected to start in June or July.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Carter, commanding officer of 4Mercian, said: "It is a fantastic opportunity that will finish with a major exercise alongside soldiers from 2Mercian – the regular army battalion with which we are now paired as part of the new-look British Army.

"This exercise is something 2Mercian do every three years and brings them up to the peak of training ready for operational deployment in 2016/17. Previously, it was used to prepare them for Afghanistan.

"A person now has the chance to join the Army Reserve and acquire the skills of a fully-trained infantry soldier in 180 days. This would normally take a reservist up to three years."

The timing of the Kenyan exercise, which is set for October and November, and the fact that 4Mercian is now officially twinned with 2Mercian have offered the chance to launch the unique project.

4Mercian is currently ranked among the top three Army Reserve units for recruitment in the country with 77 people signing on since April and a further 66 expected to follow suit before the end of this financial year. They are also developing closer ties with Wolverhampton University which runs an armed services degree course.

The unit will have an overall trained strength of 421 under the plan for the Army of 2020, but can recruit up to 25 per cent more to cover for natural wastage. Unlike the regular Army, reservists do not sign on for a specific period of time and can leave without giving notice.

Lt Col Carter said: "There have been well publicised national issues with the recruitment system over the past 18 months, but things have improved.

"A year ago it was taking up to six months to process the average application to join the Army Reserve, but now it can take as little as six weeks which still gives us time to assess the individual and for that person to understand what they are committing to. We have had a strong response to our recruiting methods in the Midlands which has always had a large number of young people wanting to serve their country."

Captain Austin Miller, 4Mercian's recruiting officer, said: "We are currently in the top three in the country for recruiting and are very pleased with the way things are going. The 180 day course would be ideal for university students or the self-employed looking for a great experience on a gap year.

"It is really hard work, but can be life changing. The challenge is not getting people interested in joining, but getting the message that we are recruiting and what we have to offer. The opportunities on offer sells the Army Reserve for us."

Applicants have to pass a medical, fitness assessment and interview before being considered. Undergraduates on the armed forces course at Wolverhampton University are required to join an Army Reserve unit and both the staff and student associations are encouraging them to sign on with 4Mercian. So far this year 20 have joined with others expressing an interest. The British Army is undergoing major changes with the regular Army being significantly cut to a strength of 82,000. Among the units that have been lost is the 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment – formerly The Staffords.