Hi,
I’ve been in the ATC for a year now and have achieved multiple badges during my time as a cadet. Unfortunately, my squadron doesn’t update my digital brassard on Cadet Portal, even though I’ve asked them on several occasions. At this point, I’d honestly be happy just buying the badges myself and sewing them onto my brassard without telling the staff.
I get on well with the WO, but he’s rarely down, so I can’t really ask him to update my digital brassard or sort out my badges. I’ve got awards from about 10 months ago, yet my brassard is still empty apart from my squadron, ATC, and First Class badges (I’m Leading now). I should have at least 4 or 5 more badges, but they don’t seem to keep track.
Every few months the staff ask the squadron what badges we need on our digital brassard so they can issue the real ones, but nothing ever actually gets updated. Should I buy the badges myself, or just keep asking every night until it’s sorted? What should I do? Can any other staff help?
Thanks
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My suggestion would be to email your OC/Adj (using oc.<sqn no>@rafac.mod.gov.uk / adj.<sqn no>@rafac.mod.gov.uk) and ask them politely and formally.
If that doesn’t help, you could try talking to staff outside your squadron when you next attend an event?
I’ll add:
There was, for a while, a bug preventing shooting badges showing on the digital brassard. I’m not sure if this has been fixed.
It has been fixed in the latest version release of Cadet Portal
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Are these badges from a course at your squadron or a Sector/Wing course? From a training officer point of view, there is no notification to staff if you attend an external course and pass it unless the staff running the course update your records.
The digital brassard is not really something you actually add the badge to, it is a visual representation of the qualifications you have been awarded.
Are you the only one missing badges or is it a squadron wide issue?
The first thing you should do is send an email to your OC and Adjutant. Obviously, if there is no suitable response you could go further up the chain of command but you should allow squadron staff to respond first.
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Just for information, in case your staff don’t explain it, adding the qualification to your record (and hence your digital brassard), and awarding you the physical badge are two separate tasks, with the latter being very much out of your squadron’s control, other than submitting the request.
Additionally, to add some qualifications to your record your staff may also need to have the evidence to attach, e.g. first aid certificate, assessment forms etc.
Sorry for taking ages to reply. These are mainly SQN courses. Blue leadership, blue first aid, bronze dofe(wing), blue space, master air cadet. I’ve been owed blue leadership for at least 10 months. Same with blue first aid. Blue space for at least 7 months. I understand master because I only achieved that in August. Frankly i don’t think it should take that long and most sqns in the wing give their cadets their badges on the night they complete the course.
It depends on where you are.
In my region we can now only order badges with a nominal roll or other evidence (such as the results forms for first aid). These also need approval by the Wing lead.
Then it is up to the region staff to supply, based on what they have in stock. Squadrons can no longer just order the badges they want ahead of time.
So although it sounds like you’ve been waiting longer than you should there could be legitimate reasons for it.
The badge ordering process is also compounded by the need to save money on postage, so badges might accrue until a larger number in total is sent out.
I also find it annoying that I cannot see which other members of staff have ordered what badges. There is no sqn-wide visibility to check that the sqn “lead” ordered specific badges.
If you’re in SW, you can see the list of orders on SharePoint.
We’re now using a spreadsheet on Sqn sharepoint to track badges ordered and who they need to be awarded to which is added admin but means no delay once badges arrived if staff who ordered not down.
It would be good if they could add something into SMS to create badge ordering when awards uploaded. I’m sure there are some Sqns who don’t order for wing courses if they miss the emails from event ICs.
Or allowing SMEs to keep a small stock would aid timely awarding. We have had such hit and miss supply of some badges which has compounded this too
I can see my orders, but not those from any other CFAV - can you see multiple CFAVs on your Sharepoint list?
Another gripe - when the dispatch email is actioned, it would be nice to have the cadet names added (or in the envelope) - it takes ages to backtrack / link the names & sometimes the order has fallen off the Oder list due to time element.
I can see every squadrons orders. If you access the list through the pillar page (the same place you find the form), you should be able to see everything.
Hmmm, I’ll look again - but last time I asked for this via Region, I was told it wasn’t possible - I was sent a “one off” spreadsheet to show our current sqn orders.
EDIT - nope, same problem - I can see my requests, but not for anyone else (including trying to filter with another CFAV’s name).