Air Cadet Engagement platform. A massive trailer with flight sims and nice things to engage the public at air shows etc. Should’ve worked… if you had a driver with the right vehicle available at the right time to get the beast of a thing there - and back again - when the show ended.
A bit like those climbing towers which didn’t get serviced, had towing issues, redpoint issues and then couldn’t be used because they had birds nesting in them… sigh.
The separation between the 2 is far more clear for us than it is for the ACF. In my experience the Army take far more interest in the ACF from a recruitment point of view especially the infantry regiments. I used to share a site with the ACF and the parent regiment who were in no way local used to be down all the time popping in, putting on Camps. Unsurprisingly of the Cadets they had go off to the forces the parent regiment seemed to be the one of choice.
Or they want to recruit in their own way at their own pace. I for one would rather have one big intake of 40 Cadets than 4 intakes of 10 Cadets and god forbid having the old “take em as they arrive” approach.
Apparently some bright spark at HQAC was trying to get them replaced with a new version, rumour is that was squashed by the AT people at HQAC (who hadn’t been consulted).
We don’t, but that’s where the funding comes from, it would be naive to think otherwise.
Don’t they get wheeled out once a year for Aerospace camp?
And RIAT?
There is certainly an element of Regimental competition we don’t have.
At the risk of topic drift, we could do more to steer our Cadets towards opportunities in the Whole Force. There’s plenty of openings - they are always looking for new talent, especially with STEM & IT / Cyber skills.
Do national campaigns or things like ACE’s etc at big events like RIAT really work? I’ve not had anyone say anything that would indicate they do, it’s always been my son/daughter saw something at school, or in the local paper or we saw you at …, and recently on a town SM page. SM works only if you have a following that is ‘outside’ the club or something people are interested enough to look at and given we recruit from a specific demographic, I’m not convinced we attract enough outside general interest in the groups we are looking to attract. People will only look if they have a need. A few half and quarter page ads in national newspapers, with links printed to say the squadron finder a couple of times a year would do better IMO to raise awareness.
I remember being given a box of leaflets and “posters” at a COs conf and the WSO at the time visiting and seeing it in the office untouched. He asked why and I said I hadn’t got round to working out how to ‘localise’ them. I said we do local events which attract people from the local area and put things in schools and shops so a national contact point is useless. If I get someone OOA show interest, I point them to their local sqn.
ACEs and similar were the dream of someone with influence to waste money, which they have proved to be. They are a waste of time and money for squadrons, unless they are within 10 miles of where they are stored and they have someone with the right licence and time to pick up, return and store in-between.
After weeks of seeing ACF/CCF posters in every bus shelter I pass, I’ve just seen a giant billboard with a picture of their cadets in a helicopter.
The ACF seem much better funded and more competent when it comes to PR. I like their model of CAA support for maintaining H&S paperwork etc, rather than dumping it on OCs
I wonder if there are some of their media team lurking on here that are just rubbing salt in the wound!
All power to them though. Is there anything that they don’t do better?
*Fieldcraft
*Shooting
*Blank firing exercises
*Actually get to fly at BGA/other clubs
*Fly in helicopters etc
In all seriousness, if I was looking at becoming a volunteer knowing what I know now, I think I would have gone ACF rather than RAFAC. Which, as an ex ATC cadet that had lots of flying opportunities/spurred me on for a career in aviation and flying, breaks my heart to say.
I agree, though I’m looking to send my daughter to Sea Cadets rather than ACF when she is old enough, but that’s just because we have a fantastic SCC unit where I am.
As you say it breaks my heart when I see what RAFAC is becoming - a computer and moodle club.
SCC is actually a sound choice. Our local unit is great. I just don’t have the quals/sea legs for it as a CFAV!
We’ve already taken that route with child 1 - and is absolutely loving it. . Child 2 is jealous and will follow in 2022. Junior Sea Cadets now starts at 9 years old - giving them the Junior section from 9-12 followed by Sea Cadets proper. Having 3 years of investment in that Junior section is going to help with their retention to Seniors and their syllabus is plenty enough to keep them occupied for 1 night a week over 3 years. Plus weekend training.
As a parent looking in, they’ve got it just right - FUN, a good range of engaging activities, sense of community and belonging.
As an Instructor looking in, they’ve got it just right too. FUN is paramount. Working with that age group before they hit us is a totally different dynamic - BUT - they have dedicated CFAVs specifically for that lot PLUS CFAVs that only work 12-18s. AND unit staff that overlap with both. They also permit their senior Sea Cadets to volunteer with the Junior section (DofE box tick!), but also giving them familiar faces to support transitions to the older section.
They also have a really good network of supportive training for CFAVs. General training - including “working with young people”, as well as options for specialist training. Delivered a County or Region level.
Additionally, they were back parading back in April whilst we were still fiddling with our F2F guidance. They took a far more sensible, pragmatic and balanced viewpoint on returning to F2F - still within NYA guidance.
And, bringing it back to the original point, with a Media presence which is very understated. Locally it’s almost entirely through word of mouth. Very little national presence. No bus stops. No billboards. Probably very similar to our approach.
They also have a physical presence, maybe due to their locations which are often waterside and quite prominent but they display ‘TS Anytown’ in big letters and seem open for business. And our local ones, at least, are quite active in the community which never hurts
They might need a strong social media presence to counter this;
“‘I was sexually assaulted in uniform. I can’t get over it.’ Shocking allegations are surfacing in the military” https://twitter.com/i/events/1463891085697114112?t=yux42ImZxOD4uWKEo3ssdQ&s=09
I’m not convinced Joe Public will be that bothered and this doesn’t appear to be youth org related, and if it was and whoever read it and have kids of a certain age, we just won’t be an option and it won’t be that many.
Journos will be interested if they can make their name on the back of it and get their Andy Warhol.
We just got sick of the old media team who only ever wanted to show pictures of cadets doing AT, because they didn’t want to show the military connection.
Would love to see the RAFAC do something similar but it just doesn’t seem like something the organisation would do. Props to ACF though 
