We manage to do virtually all of the blue badges on unit, on parade nights so I’m not sure what the issue is there…
I have to agree with MattB and is of course is the intention of the PTS system.
Blue is a on unit experience, potentially covered within parade evenings.
Bronze and silver requiring more commitment outside the normal parade on a weekend and often via Wing support while Gold is higher still
I equate Bronze with Blue, I don’t see why it is we have to do the basic level for anything off squadron. I don’t really understand what extra value comes from arranging a multi unit activity for something that means so little. None of the badges will make it onto a job application as a qualification or CV, just like with any youth organisation.
When you take leadership, over the years I have witnessed some extremely anal assessors, which baffles me as I fail to see what purpose being like this serves, when leadership is such an esoteric thing and with cadets even more so. Then there are the scenarios which are so far fetched.
i list my Bronze DofE on my latest CV
Bronze isn’t blue, and therefore isn’t the basic level.
[pedant mode] Bronze is the basic level. Blue is the foundation level [\pedant mode]
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That’s being a tad facetious as DofE is not the same as the badges we dish out for sundry subjects, designed to keep cadets busy.
I think you’re missing some of the points.
Badges have required standards to meet. If you do not meet them then the assessor gives feedback to improve. This then allows continued development of a cadet’s leadership skills. The point in multi unit activities, for leadership at least, is to allow cadets to lead teams with some unfamiliar faces in them - something that they could need to do one day as an NCO/after leaving cadets. It all links into the ATC’s aims.
Fair enough, a cadet is very unlikely to put a Bronze/Silver leadership badge on their CV. However, they can put it on their personal statement for university and talk about how it has developed them as a person.
Besides, would you rather your cadets went to wing events and made friends (and building them up in confidence etc) or stay on squadron for everything? I agree not everything needs a weekend event or an off sqn event, but for some things it is needed or beneficial.
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In my day we never had courses etc like we do now and we had friends on other squadrons,
There seems to be a plethora of off squadron courses today and for my money I cannot figure out why, other than HQAC inventing things and saying it has to be done like that. Which would be all well and good if it was salaried HQAC staff running them. But they don’t, it’s CFAV and when you consider how much people complain about the pressures of being squadron staff, I’m baffled as to why they do it.
I have friends on other Squadrons, Inlike running events with them, doing things like Bronze Badges at Sector Level is an excuse to do that and have a Beer in the evening.
Stop looking for the Negatives and make it work for you. Assuming anyone outside your Squadron can tolerate the constant whinging!
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Well if your wing is organised and has centralised training events, then “off Squadron” activities are less of a burden on Squadron staff, because you have specific teams (of people able and willing to give the extra time) delivering to a broader and larger group than a couple of Squadrons could.
A big benefit for consistency and concentrating expertise, too.
I think we’re meant to, but they were such cliques, that many people have avoided them. One the SNCOs on our squadron did get involved, but because they weren’t on mates terms with the others they got jiffed with a job well below their experience, knowledge and capabilities, suffered the day and has refused point blank to get involved since.
My thing is DofE expeds with a group where some of us have been working together for nearly 30 years.
DofE is the most important thing in terms of “qualification” we do as an organisation.
I’m certainly baffled as to why you do it.
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That quote in itself is enough to ignore largely anything you spout.
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Just to answer your point on
HQAC inventing things
This wasn’t invented by HQAC. It was invented by a team of CFAV (SNCOs and Officers, including an OC from the CCF) and some cadets (CWO / FS, JL, ACLC and non-gold badge holders). It was invented with a number of wings trialling the course, and 90% of WTOs having input.
Also, go back and read the ACTO (in the ACTO library) and the annexes (in the Training Officers Area). You’ll see it has been designed to be modular, so if you wanted to run on evenings, go crazy.
The only caveat as you rightly suggest, multi-squadron for bronze and wing for silver. Why? To encourage our cadets to engage with other people than the norm, to lead groups they are not used to, to understand how to work in teams they haven’t already learned the habits of, to gain skills that will be genuinely useful outside of the cadets (…to bodly go where no cadet as gone before).
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Stop ruining his life with facts and evidence!
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Where does the ILM Level 2 Young Leaders Award fit in as it ticks all the boxes for Bronze?
Numerous Squadrons on CVQO led course run by CFAV leaders!
Cadets can complete an ILM Level 2 Young Leaders course sponsored by the MOD, which totally matches ACTO85, and not qualify for the Bronze Leadership Award.
Is this right or fair!!!
I spoke to HQAC about this last year about this and another similar course that I ran with CVQO. They promised to look into it but I didn’t hear anything back, despite me asking for updates several times, so I gave up.
Although not ideal, I’d go ahead and buy the badges and give them to the cadets that completed the course.
Ask the team on VoV.