RALEIGH, N.C. –
Recruiters and staff from the United States Army Raleigh Recruiting Battalion traveled to Fort Jackson, SC to observe trainees participating in the Future Soldiers Preparatory Course July 31 – Aug 1.
The pilot program initially stood up in August 2022 to help America’s youth overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to service and meet or exceed the Army’s accession standards.
Recruiters engage daily with potential future Soldiers that want to serve but may need additional assistance. This course is an option that was stated that the recruiters suggest frequently.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Vaughn, a recruiter, stated that he’s had an 100 % success rate on future Soldiers that participated in the FSPC drastically increasing their readiness for the Army.
TRADOC assesses that the Army’s readiness depends on a quality all volunteer force. Through the FSPC the Army will provide focused academic and fitness instruction for those who have the desire to achieve the Army standards.
The FSPC cadre and recruiters engaged in discussions to help maximize the process when the trainee is first introduced to the recruiter, to the hand off with the cadre and drill sergeants.
The recruiters were given a tour of the course to help them better understand what the trainees experience. During the tour, the recruiters were met with a wall dedicated to the trainees called ‘What is Your Why’. The ‘What is Your Why’ wall displayed trainees’ purpose for joining written on index cards. They visit the wall weekly to keep them motivated.
According to TRADOC, the FSPC has a 95 % graduation rate. Students in the academic track increase their test score by an average of 17 points and those in the fitness track lose an average of 1.4 % of body fat each week.
Jermisha Cole and Azzayra Davis joined the Army together from Valdosta, GA and was given the opportunity to increase their General Testing score for the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery through the FSPC.
“When we took our test, our recruiter told us about the Future Soldier Prep Course and we decided that we will participate in that,” said Cole. “We increased our score 50 points in three weeks.”
Trainees that increase their GT score qualify for more job opportunities.
According to TRADOC, the Army will continue to assess and scale the FSPC based on the demand and resources needed to ensure it is successfully preparing and building quality recruits.
For more information about the Army, go to GoArmy.com or visit your local recruiting station.