NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Army is known for keeping Soldiers in top physical and mental shape, and with the school year underway, the Soldiers who lead the Future Soldier Preparatory Course are sharing their top tips to help students achieve their goals during the academic year.

The Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which has continually demonstrated success since its inauguration in 2022, is a pre-enlistment program which helps future Soldiers overcome academic or physical barriers to Army Service, while developing the leaders of tomorrow. In the program’s first year, 95% of those who participated in the course went on to Basic Combat Training. To date, tens of thousands of people have passed through the course as a first step to becoming a Soldier.

The program includes two distinct tracks: a physical fitness program and an academic development program for recruits who need assistance improving their Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) scores.

Since its launch, roughly 25,000 trainees have participated in the course and continued to basic training.

• In the academic track, 95% of students improved in at least one test category, increasing their ASVAB test score by an average of 17 points.
• In the fitness track, 87% of students graduated within their first three weeks with an average weekly body fat loss of 1%.

The program’s outcome has been very successful and demonstrates the Army’s ability to help Soldiers reach their full potential.

A nationwide media tour was conducted featuring U.S. Army Soldier 1^st Sgt. Eric Immel on September 25^th to discuss this topic.

Since January 2023, 1^st Sgt. Immel has served as the First Sergeant for the Academic Development Program in the Future Soldier Preparatory Course where he helps future Soldiers make strides in their development that will benefit them in and out of uniform.

The Future Soldier Preparatory Course was not available when 1^st Sgt. Immel enlisted in the Army, so he finds reward in watching trainees grow into Soldiers and reinforcing the concept of "right place, right time, right uniform," a value system and method of discipline that is essential to an effective Army.

For more information, visit GoArmy.com.

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A video accompanying this release is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc130675-110b-4757-bdf1-6d29316cb101