- The UK government has announced a new education drive and a £182 million funding package to significantly boost defence training and skills.
- This initiative aims to grow the UK’s skilled workforce through five new "technical excellence colleges", targeted short courses, and STEM programmes for school students.
- The Ministry of Defence said the strategy will equip the workforce with expertise for a rapidly evolving defence sector and enable innovation at a "wartime pace".
- Defence Secretary John Healey described the drive as the "biggest defence skills plan in decades", intended to boost national security and job creation.
- The announcement follows warnings from a former Nato chief about the UK's unpreparedness for armed conflict and reports of French hospitals preparing for potential major military engagement in Europe.
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