Its a real shame that, for all Tony’s interests and preaching of “inclusion”, the CBAT scores could potentially rule out a number of cadets who would have been eligible for ACPS prior to this moment…
Would like to see whether there’s any mention of Reasonable Adjustments in the policy document which underpin the IBN…
Questions:
Didn’t they offer CBAT slots last year and only a handful of cadets, (nothing like the 160 places they are offering) went?
Will the extremely challenging pilot pass score of 112 apply to cadets?
Will there be 160 over 18’s who are ‘graduates from the senior courses offered by RAFAC (eg Junior Leaders;Qualified Aerospace Instructors’ Course; Gliding Scholarships and Flight Staff Cadets; orother ‘gold-level’ RAFAC courses’ who will be interested in a CBAT?
If it does become a requirement for ACPS selection, can Cranwell handle the hundreds of applicants who apply for ACPS every year?
What will be the cost of the hundreds of extra rail warrants?
If you have to be over 18 to take the CBAT, how old will a cadet be by the time they have passed the other selection stages and been allocated an ACPS course?
Does it run the risk of cadets who fail the CBAT, bailing out early, because they realise they have no chance of becoming a pilot?
Timing is everything with a CBAT test. Would you risk taking a test, failing a test and excluding yourself from a resit for 12 months?
the problem is Tony likes to talk inclusivity, opportunities for all etc but then gets scuppered by safeguarding, duty of care etc
So for all the talk of opening up opportunities we are actually doing the reverse and shutting down opportunities.
If you were born early enough in the academic year you can make the most of that last year at 6th form and being 18 before leaving for uni.
If your birthday is in 2nd half of year you have no chance.
(assumption that majority of 6th form leavers go to uni - I have no idea on the number of staff cadets in the org who have finished college and not left for uni but not sure it is a massive number)
The whole point of ACPS is for those with an “active interest and passion” for aviation and flying. If the requirement is to have all the knowledge before you go then you might as well just go with a civvy flying school and call it a day, it’s also thinking about costs on both the applicant and RAFAC, like you said extra rail warrants for RAFAC however if they aren’t able to access these opportunities easily, thats just limiting the whole accessing opportunities thing HQ RAFAC is currently botching.
When you lay it all out like that, realistically it’ll be single digit cadets won’t it. I suspect the % with Mummy or Daddy as a pilot starts to climb with all the extra barriers, it’s such a laborious task without someone to guide you through all that.
I think back to my squadron days, I had no idea anything like this existed, and I was the keenest of the keen. Let alone each of the hoops, of which all must be completed before being able to get onto ACPS.
The CBAT point you make is interesting. Hopes and dreams could well be crushed by failing the test, yet still be more than suited to commercial flying for example. Needs to be done in the wider context of promoting flying, not just to fill an extra F35 OCU slot in 2031.
17 posts were merged into an existing topic: What do you think the ATC/CCF(RAF)/RAFAC will be like in the next 50 years? What are your predictions?
My understanding is that cadet service only gives about 2 weeks advantage in Basic Training - marching, uniform upkeep and some degree of RAF kowledge.
Here here !!
The main benefit to the RAF of someone with, say, five years of committee cadet experience, is that they at least sort of know what they’re getting themselves into.
They’re not just applying to go to Halton on a whim, I’d wager they’re more likely to stick the course at to the end. Total conjecture, but I’d be surprised if that’s not the case.
Thing is, anybody who does that is weeded out by the process these days. The application system takes over a year to get through (longer for Officer and direct SNCO roles); nobody doing it on a whim is putting up with that.
One of the few benefits of using civvy contractors!
From personal experience (family member), the contractor aspects for the medical examination were absolutely dire.
It was a total run-around, failure to book appointments, zero liaison with the RAF Careers team, & appalling lack of communications.
Sadly this is often the case with a great deal of opportunities afforded to young people - everything from levels of attainment in education to sporting success
Apparently the new contract was offered to Tayside before they went bust. So them going bust means they had to offer it to the second choice, who then said they couldn’t honour their quote.
TL;DR: We have no ACPS provider, and a new tendering process has begun. No ACPS until Jan 24.
Unfortunately, this has been due to the extraordinary circumstances involving the loss of our planned Service Provider.
Surely checking they weren’t about to go bust was part of the procurement?
You would think any procurement process worth it’s salt would a) check the solvency of the organisation and b) do this for all bidders.
I would have hoped that due diligence on financial security, etc, would have been of paramount importance - especially for Gov’mint money!!
Yeah, we can train to the required standard… 
EDIT - so what about the unfortunate cadets who have been provisionally allocated a scholarship but who will now age out??
Aka their quote was complete BS too. Procurement disaster
This actually an utter joke. They’re saying there likely won’t be any ACPS till Jan 24. Lets be realistic. We’re looking at a good 12 months without any ACPS being offered.
And all whilst the Tutors are grounded…
Or they knew Tayside would get it, so through in a joke bid. Now they know Tayside is gone, they can double their bid!
I’ve got an awkward conversation to have with one of my cadets now. I suppose we could try to transfer her to an ATC unit to keep her place, but I fear she’s too disillusioned by this point. ACLC cancelled when she was due to go, and now this. She’s already been quite angry by the lack of communications over this saga.
I’d get my MP involved if she wasn’t an utter chocolate teapot. Anyone know of a decent Lord?
Shows a fundamental misunderstanding of CCF(RAF). You have to be 18 to take up the spot. So almost inevitably the successful cadets will be upper 6, meaning they are to be discharged on or before 31/08/2023. There may have been some successful L6 who would take up the spot next academic year, but still in this financial year, but I’ve never yet heard of one being successful.