When 99 entry arrived in Sep 68 we were informed of the new Graduate Entry system decision and those that were willing and able then transferred across, albeit , in most cases with a one year delay before going up to University. During this time we were in the Cranwell "mill" and a number of us were "chopped". The rest of us who got through this year were then told to "write it off to experience"
before being commissioned and going up into the rarified atmosphere of academia.
On our return , having spent three years taking money from the taxpayer in the meantime, we went through a ( then noticeably watered down) IOT circus for a second time, in company with the other Graduate Entrants , again with a number of these being shown the door. It has to be admitted that a couple of ex-99'ers also engineered their departure, having exploited a loophole in our permanently commissioned conditions of service.
My point is this .
Would it not be a good idea to consider a system, based upon this for us, "wasted" time, in which officer selection
and IOT is done
before sending those who were successful off on University cadetships post IOT, thus sorting the wheat from the chaff three years early, and then subsequently being able to put successful graduates directly in to branch training on their return ?