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

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  • Title: PERSONNEL SELECTION IN THE BRITISH ARMY: RECRUITS [Main Title]
  • Film Number: UKY 591
  • Other titles: REPORT FROM BRITAIN No 2 [Alternative Title] REPORT FROM BRITAIN [Series Title]
  • Summary: A detailed account of the procedure followed to assess new recruits and make optimum use of their capabilities.
  • 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.
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor) Shell Film Unit (Production company) Bell, Geoffrey (Production individual) Wright, Basil19071987 (Production individual) Anstey, Edgar (Production individual) Mason, Bill (Production individual) Beadle, Sidney (Production individual) Rodker, Francis (Production individual) Wilkins, Leo (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: administration, British - military: personnel selection (object name) recruitment, British: Army (object name) training, British military: assessment of recruits (object name) Instruction (concept)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 7 Footage: 5238 ft; Running time: 60 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Notes: Remarks: extremely clear (almost to the point of becoming boring in a few places): a valuable document on its avowed subject. Not for general audiences, but good.
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UKY 591

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