2024 Activity Changes

Then people need to be held to account.

If you are in that role, you need to be providing, pr supporting the providing. If not, get them out, and find someone who will

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That assumes people are in the roles in the first place… because you know, we have such a plethora of staff right now.

What would end up happening is you kill the courses, kill the motivation of the staff who deliver it, probably many would leave the organisation.
All told, net loss to cadets.

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42% of CFAV positions in my Wing are currently unfilled. We have many others multi-hatting with no additional personal capacity.

Exactly!

Again the pressure is on the CFAV who deliver
Its the same small cadre that deliver Drill, Leadership, Shooting, Fieldcraft
Another that do all the Radio, Cyber
Another that do 1st Aid

I commend them for the amount of time they give to the org and cadets

I would love to do more - but if I did I would soon be a single man living in a studio flat on the not nice side of town

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Where do I sign up to do these activities?

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I know… there are times it is tempting

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I have the best of both worlds, together 14 years this year, own houses and an apartment, don’t live together, don’t plan to live together. The longest we have been together at one time is 23 days. Now that is a life. Friends jealous…oh yes indeed.

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Following on from this:

A cool opportunity is available, spaces are limited, it needs existing skills, experience, and interest, a high level of motivation to get through…

Do you give it to the proven dedicated cadet, that can use an iron, has leadership skills, and will be able to turn that opportunity into (however limited in time) an experience they can bring back to benefit other cadets and your unit?

Or do you give it to flakey Jake, whose qualifications are being available?

I don’t think the goal should be to limit the scope or lower the ceiling. The infrastructure and quality beneath high ticket items should be built up, with the activities mentioned still being the target. Give JL (as an example) a headache with 400 qualified applicants and a course with no fails due to quality/skill issues. At THAT point, we can turn around and say “we don’t need you and all your expenses”, because it’s proven that the skills and delivery processes are (mostly) in place at lower levels.

Then reduce JL at a national level to just test week.

All the talk of national or niche DS being better utilised to build up skills within the chain is great, but we don’t have the numbers of CFAV to deliver more. The bandwidth isn’t there to expand using only what we have. And until we have enough people to share the burden, cutting off the top just limits cadet opportunities and over time will lose the experience that we want to use to train others.

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I had 10% of my unit want to go to choir camp one year. I have some very talented singers including the cadet who sang the lead on Britain’s got talent.
The number that graduated from QAIC last time was low 30s, this is about 1%
Horses for courses. we should offer activates that cover a broad spectrum, just like our cadets.

The thick is cost and value for money.
Is putting cadets on trains (and flights for NI cadets) to take part in a weekend activity cost effective. Are several coaches for a week cheaper.

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But QAIC is an enabling course. Those 30 cadets are now out in the squadrons and wings delivering aviation training, which is our main USP.

QAIC might only be for 1% of the org, but it has a much wider impact. The cadets who attended the choir camp probably had a great time, but it’s only a great time for them.

The same can be argued for JL too, especially now that staff cadets can gain FCI. It enables cadets to go back home and deliver training!

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Really once they have finished strutting around in their flying suit how many actually deliver to the wing and run courses in the Aerospace suites. Not seen any in our region in the 12 to 13 years of QAIC. Choir camps have equal right to opetate as the other activities

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Ft4y.

Though often it’s lack of opportunity rather than desire.

I’ve seen loads delivering training. It’s not just about the aero suites, but going to squadrons and helping them get set up with a flight sim. Or helping out at their local VGS/AGS. You get the idea. I see it loads, and there’s some great young adults who are very keen delivering some fantastic training.

This isn’t abut ‘equal rights’. It’s about best use of resources. Be that money, time, or otherwise. We have very little money, and very few staff willing to organise and run big scale activities. It is my opinion that those resources should focus on how we can deliver more locally, whilst still delivery a high level course. QAIC is a great example of this. The cadets on the course have an excellent time, and take that knowledge back with them. Same with JL.

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i don’t think this bit is up for debate.

what is however is how much does the organisation/other cadets from the few going on the big ticket items.

as identified there is potential for trickle down training from some opportunities yet Choir and music they don’t have that

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But desire should create an opportunity, or do they need spoon feeding. Our aerospace centre hardly gets used outside of QAIC

Sounds like you are fortunate and glad you are all benefitting, unfortunately same cant be said for our srea

But those not interested in aerospace would say that running 2 national courses involving lots of travel is nit using resources well. Point is you cant reduce one area at expense of another, agreed would be better to run more local courses less national ones, overall cist in travel may not change but more cadets will benefit hence better use of resources. QAiC is nit a lical course it is 2 national courses and a good example where a few cadets unquestionably have a good time and but great expenses of travel and resources (coach/train) dozen instructors, , whilst many others dont get the opportunity. So 2 cources per year 20 to 25 cadets per course, 50 cadets in total out if 20k+ mmm, Niw if the 20 cadets then went back to their regions and ran 6 mini QAICs (1 per region) then that would be great, but in reality sorry not seen any evidence if that. Note that doesnt apply to all of them as i know one is delivery back albiet it is to the QAIC.

This is a valid point but I would say that cadets do not get travel reimburses so why should they be out of pocket while staff can put in a 1771.

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I don’t even think we have one. I’ve also never had a candidate get on to QAIC.