LONDON: Harpreet Kaur is the first Sikh woman to join the British Army through the award-winning British Army - Gurdwara project.

She passed out at Pirbright Barracks after completing her Phase one training. It was the most important achievement of her career to date.

Harpreet Kaur aged 23 is from India. Her great grandfather fought alongside the British in the Second World War.

Back in India Harpreet was working in a call centre, however her dream was to pursue a medical career.

On joining army, she says, “I have always wanted to pursue a career in medicine - the Army gave me the opportunity to do this. In India I was working in a call centre, I was so happy to find out that it was possible for me to follow my dream. I am going to be training to be a Combat Medical Technician.”

Many of her relatives have served in the Army. Her great grandfather fought alongside the British in the Second World War, Her uncle had served in the Indian Army.”

“Many Asian people do not realise how many opportunities the Army offers. I will become a medical professional, gaining qualification that will be with me for life, without the Army this would not be possible", she said.

“The Gurdawara project has helped create an environment in which Sikhs can make enquiries about life in the Army. Many people are not aware that they can join the Army, or that the Army offers a huge range of career choices. The project allows people to explore their options in a calm environment, with the support of their community. Those who are considering joining the Army are able to talk to Sikhs already in the Army to get a real insight into what Army life is like.

Sikhs have a historic link to The British Army, having fought in both world wars, resulting in them winning one of the highest per capita number of Victoria Crosses for bravery, heroism and gallantry. However, over recent years the numbers Sikhs in the British Army have declined.

About a year ago, the Army decided to try and revive the link, and started a partnership with the Sri Guru Singh Saba Gurdwara in Southall, the largest Sikh Temple outside India. Through this, The Army met with Sikhs at the Gurdwara, rather than expecting them to come to the recruiting office. It also tried to engage with the Sikh community, officially thanking Sikhs for their historical role in the British military, and sending senior officers to observe Sikh celebrations. In other words, this has hopefully been a two-way learning process, rather than simply a recruiting drive.

Initially, just a trickle of Sikhs applied. However, after a British Colonel gave a speech about Sikhism and the history of Sikhism and the British Army at the start of Southall’s Vaisakhi (New Year) parade, a large amount of Sikhs began to enlist through the project, of which Harpreet Kaur is the first female to join through the innovative project.

The project has since won a BitC Race for Opportunity Award, in recognition of the community partnership: http://www.bitc.org.uk/resources/case_studies/british_army_sikh.html