The Battle of Britain

PERSONNEL SELECTION IN THE BRITISH ARMY: RECRUITS [Main Title]

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All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Catalogue number
  • UKY 591
Production date
1944
Place made
GB
Subject period
Creator
Category
film

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Object description

A detailed account of the procedure followed to assess new recruits and make optimum use of their capabilities.

Full description

Personnel selection takes place in the first fortnight of training; it is stressed throughout that recruits should be at their ease and have faith in the procedure. A series of tests assesses each man's intelligence, agility, ability to follow instructions, and mechanical, mathematical and verbal aptitude; some take confirmatory tests (eg morse aptitude). Filling in a form, and a personal interview with a Personnel Selection Officer let the recruit "be seen as an individual"; difficult cases are seen by a psychiatrist. The findings are marked against minimum standards worked out by job analysts, and 3 'Training Recommendations' made for each man. At the War Office these are (machine) sorted and matched against service requirements; the posting roll is sent to the training station and the PSO sends recommendations on precise jobs ahead of the men to their final units. We are invited to "judge success (of the procedure) by what that army has achieved" and to consider some of the lessons for post-war civilian life.

Physical description

35mm

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