So if you join after your 16th birthday you can’t become a Sergeant. Regardless of your abilities.
Also, to become a flight sergeant you need to have attended a formal parade as a flight commander? If the Sgts are doing that role does that mean FS and CEO are no longer expected on parades?
Surely any such absences would mark as S for Sick so wouldn’t affect any stats?
Being realistic if you were long term absent would you get promoted?
That depends on the individual and legislation.
Why does this organisation try to formalise things and have endless matrices that become pure tick box exercises.
it’s not that it’s not doable, just not required in any way, shape or form.
As for the attendance as @incubus says we are volunteers so can’t really be absent in any formal sense and most definitely not unauthorised, unless as OC I have some special powers etc to make people attend. Now if the insinuation is that we are a statutory body akin to a school, where there is a legal requirement to attend, then that makes us a whole different kettle of fish. As far as I’m concerned registers are for fire drill purposes only.
In fact the ACO removed any powers of compulsion but withdrawing VRT and replacing it with the CFC.therfore removing any military law element for staff. Only the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Shop and Factories Act 1953 and any food hygiene regulations have any real force.
On the flip side…
Promotion for a cadet has value beyond their ACO service. Being able to include it on a CV arguably makes them more employable. Think about the implications of that for a moment.
Now, compare squadrons: isn’t it the case that it is easier to get promoted on some squadrons than others? That could be for a variety of reasons. It might be because OC’s have different opinions of where the ‘bar’ sits. It might be that some sqns only have ‘need’ for a certain number of NCO’s - consider the size of a flight - a sqn of 40 cadets might have 4 flights of 10, 3 flights of 14, or 5 flights of eight - this has an implication for how many nco’s the sqn needs.
Is it fair that there is effectively a postcode lottery effecting their chances of being promoted, or is fair that there is a standard across the corps that removes the variation and makes the opportunity equal to all.
And I agree with other posters that ‘authorised’ absences are counted towards attendance.
Civcoms should assist cadets where there are genuine cases of financial hardship preventing attendance at events / camps etc
The ‘S’ on the register stands for suspended, not sick.
The other problem I see is you will have cadets who tick all the published requirements demanding promotion and if there are spaces in your establishment I can see mum and dad coming down waving the HQ requirements for promotion around. Just creating more issues for the OC
We have had this very recently on my squadron. It meant some difficult conversations had to be had about why their child wasn’t suitable.
We all know these cadets. The ones that on paper look great, but simply have no potential of leading or need more guidance and mentorship before they have stripes.
I would never give someone a rank that they can’t handle because it takes all the fun out of the organisation and is detrimental to their development.
Had this before. Also detrimental is holding someone back when they are physically, mentally, and practically ready because they aren’t paper ready according to some arbitrary measure on a matrix.
I’ve dealt with and managed people with degree’s and masters degree’s who could not do the job they were employed for as they were either inept or damn dangerous at what they did. Some of them supposedly at the top of their professions. Some people you would promote because they can do the job not because of a matrix or paper gathering.
When I was a cadet i was seeing someone who’s dad was an Air Cmdr…needless to say the sqn said how high when her dad said jump
Friends in high place or is that low places?
This system is another incident of showing just how detached the top is from the bottom. Where has there been the consultation and constant communication on something like this.
It is somewhat ironic that there were plaudits wrt comms from the top regarding sorting the O365 licence problem (a problem of their own making IMO), now a day later there is this … normal service is resumed.
Oh do Bore Off
Yes that would be true but I have started cadets 2016 and still have not been promoted. I have done AFA, deployed exercises, leadership bronzes and other. Plus I have taken so may parades and helped out organise nights at cadets. But now I am transferred to another Sqn I been there for 2 months and I getting promoted by the medium of July.
Some Sqn don’t follow the guidelines and as u think if someone who is 16 and joined cadets should maybe get promoted after 18 months l because they are becoming a staff cadet in the next couple of months
given HS “should” be completed within the first 6 months, and in reality 12 months is not unreasonable, putting a HS requirement on the matrix is as standard as putting “knows how to wear a beret”??
it is fair yes, but then it just becomes a tick box exercise and promoted should be considered automatic having ticked all the boxes.
the same is said for the Adult NCO matrix, there are Staff who are FS or even WO who have simply achieved the minimum level and thus eligible for promotion but are no more a more competent SNCO than there were 8 years ago as a Baby Sgt save for some experiences attending (ie not getting involved) in events.
its all well and good having a standard, but if we’re talking about removing the Post Code lottery then this also implies that once the minimum is reached its auto promotion…which we all know is unrealistic and the others issues raised by Farmerdan here
Very much against the introduction of this if true and not a ‘wind-up’.
I have not been consulted and I am the one who knows my cadets.
Regardless of any matrix that may or may not come into force, there is still a scale of the numbers of NCOs that a unit is meant to have, so any number of “eligible” prospective NCOs may find themselves waiting for a vacancy - a vacancy they may not fill due to non-matrix inadequacies or inabilities.
Furthermore, squadrons need to have an effective structure and they can only promote from the cadets they actually have.
True, but the more they throw on to yet another proxy matrix, the less an OC has to use to secure the best NCOs.
This completely discriminates against those who are the brightest and best but for whatever reason cant do overnight that year. Or miss the formal parade due family holiday.
Pathetic tinkering around the edges on stuff HQAC should know better about.