In an effort to address the recruitment crisis the Royal Canadian Navy is currently facing, it has introduced a new program aimed at boosting recruitment. The Naval Experience Program (NEP), a one-year no-strings-attached pilot program, is intended to give Canadians interested in joining the navy a full experience without the pressure of the previous three-to-five-year programs, according to Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee.
The Canadian Armed Forces recently reported a shortage of around 16,000 members, including positions that require urgent filling like naval operators, medical officers, aviation specialists, and communication and technical tradespeople. NEP will offer eight weeks of basic training to become a general duty sailor, followed by nine months of exposure to navy life at a home base in Nova Scotia or British Columbia. There will also be a component of experience on a foreign port to expose participants to the extensive travelling required of the job.
According to Topshee, this is an opportunity for people to join the navy, gain all expenses paid experience for one year, and see if it is for them. They are trying to account for the fact that many people don’t know what the navy does. Trainees will be paid a year’s salary of $42,000 and have the option to use 20 days of vacation with paid travel accommodations. After the program, participants can choose to remain in the navy full-time or part-time, or leave altogether if they decide it is not for them.
Topshee aims to have 80% of participants become full-time members with this program. Part of the value proposition of the navy is that you join to see the world, so they want to make sure participants experience that and see if they like the lifestyle, Topshee said. He added that being on board a ship is not for everyone and that the program is intended to give people the full experience of the life of a sailor.
The NEP is a much-needed program for the navy, which is in need of a boost in recruitment, and it is hoped that this program will attract more Canadians to consider a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.