GERMANY/FILE-ARMY German army, in high need of qualified applicants, opens recruitment centre
Record ID:
860256
GERMANY/FILE-ARMY German army, in high need of qualified applicants, opens recruitment centre
- Title: GERMANY/FILE-ARMY German army, in high need of qualified applicants, opens recruitment centre
- Date: 19th November 2014
- Summary: FEISABAD, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - AUGUST 27, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS FILE OF GERMAN SOLDIERS AT GERMAN ARMY CAMP
- Embargoed: 4th December 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA3QOPLR647NVJ828R603O5BA9R
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Three years after Germany abolished its mandatory military service, the country's armed forces are in "high need" of qualified personnel, according to Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen who opened a career centre on Wednesday (November 19).
During the unveiling of the recruitment office the army calls a "unique showroom in the heart of Berlin," von der Leyen said the central location was a deliberate choice.
"It is important that the Bundeswehr [German army] can show all of its advantages but also face the criticism it receives. I would be delighted if the protesters not only screamed but came here for a discussion," von der Leyen added as a dozen or so protesters chanted and screamed anti-army slogans.
"I am happy how the number of applicants is developing because the numbers are clearly on the rise now. Young women in particular are increasingly interested in the many, many jobs the Bundeswehr has on offer. We have an increase of ten percent of female applicants so we are on the right path," von der Leyen, a medical doctor and mother of seven, said.
On July 1, 2011 Germany officially abolished conscription with the aim to decrease its forces by 65,000 to bring them to a level of around 185,000 soldiers.
Young people inside the centre said the armed forces was a tempting option.
"I would like to join the navy. What's very interesting there is that the space is very limited. You have to work together and the atmosphere is somehow informal. I also find it's very important to be cooperative," 23-year-old Natalie Bianchini from Berlin said. She is signed up to participate in a two-day trial course with the German navy in Kiel on the Baltic Sea coast next month.
"I will apply now because I think the Bundeswehr is a good employer. It's a secure job with lots of possibilities for advanced training which you might not find elsewhere," another Berlin local, 19-year-old Cindy Reinhard, said.
The draft was introduced in what was then West Germany in 1957.
In East Germany, young men were forced to perform military service from 1962, one year after the Berlin Wall was built.
East and West Germany united in 1990 and soldiers from both nations from then on served in the same German army known as the Bundeswehr.
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