Hello
I am currently in the CCF and interested in joining the ATC. What i was wondering was if I joined, would I still keep the badges I currently have obtained in the CCF and just get a new brassard for the ATC or would I have to do all the courses again.
i would take a guess and say it would depend on the courses.
as a CCF member did you have and RAF section and thus completed “ATC” courses as part of that section.
there are several areas which are the same and thus those courses i would imagine need not be repeated.
taking radio as the example (note I don’t know if it is the same, just an example)
if you completed Radio Operators badge to Bronze level that is the same course as with the ATC Radio badge = keep it
take shooting as another (again see note above)
you completed a CCF shooting award, which the ATC doesn’t do - that badge wouldn’t be worn as it is not an ATC award
i personally wouldn’t expect a Cadet to repeat courses having completed (and passed) them if the course was the same
The only one I would expect there to be an issue with is the conversion from Advanced to Senior (assuming you have done advanced). To get this badge in the CCF you have to do one Ultilearn test but in the ATC it is three, so they may make you drop back down to Leading cadet until you do those extra two tests.
You would not keep any army badges you have.
You may not keep any rank, this would be down to the new CO.
One question, why is there a difference bwteen the organisations in training standards?
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Because the CCF are “special”.
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Good question, but one that will obfuscate the OP’s question and its responses. Suffice it to say that they exist.
Thanks for all the replies!
Answering one of the questions from earlier yes, my CCF section is split into 3 and I’m in the RAF section so I’ve done ultilearn and courses with ATC cadets.
99% of the CCF RAF syllabus is the same as the ATC. If you can tell me what badges are currently on your brassard I can tell you if they transfer across. Even shooting badges should be the same - but some CCF units are still using the old shooting syllabus, or do Army shoots, which wouldn’t transfer.
Occasionally RAF cadets do get Army badges - the ones I’ve seen most often are first aid and D of E badges, but there is probably an equivalent badge you could get instead.
And if you are an NCO, remember the ATC don’t have LCpl, so that can’t be transferred, and higher ranks might be subject to some sort of qualifying criteria you don’t meet. Don’t be upset if you drop a rank temporarily.
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Im lead to believe because in the private school teachers are forced to take it on so they make it simple for them.
It’s the exact same part from the fact that we have no master cadet and we have lance corporal.
Also the teachers aren’t forced. Each head of section has an actual rank in the armed forces. Our highest in each section is (commander in navy, squadron leader in RAF and major in army)
But the RAF do as in the Regiment.
Plus being teachers they probably have too much self respect to teach the out of date dross that we are stuck with!
Getting back on topic would CCF be teaching Heart Start, St Johns YFA/AFA as those are the courses which attract badges in the ATC. DofE is of course DofE so its just the type/style of badge that would change.
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I currently have:
Leading cadet
MOI lanyard
Blue radio communication
Wing marksman ( which should have been replaced by silver marksman)
Bronze music
You can keep all of them…
No they don’t have an actual rank in the armed forces. They hold a cadet forces commission which is entirely Civilian (used to have a reserve commission but not any more) and they are all Flying Officer (or equivalent) tops with anything above that being acting rank.
And in many schools they do need to force staff to do it because of shortages of volunteers.
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I just checked in our CCF area on our website and you are mainly right, sorry about that. The RAF and Army are civilian but our head of Navy is retired from the Navy and became a teacher afterwards.
Even MOI?
Thought it was Master and then instructor… with MOI course and assessment also.
Not just leading cadet.
Sorry didnt see the moi just the scout badges sorry i mean PRS Badges
We are - as always with the CCF, there is great variety as some do other schemes because they have the skills/staffing to do this already. We re-trained for Heartstart 4-5 years ago and have delivered it ever since, though I’ve never issued those badges or, indeed, blue and bronze music, or we’d start to look like the scouts and I’d have too many varieties of brassard for the compulsory service year…
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No, nothing special just maths.
My cadets started later and finish sooner. They also parade once a week not twice and close down in school holidays.
This all means less time to achieve syllabus work, hence the compressed syllabus.
Believe me, as a ATC cadet many moons ago I would gladly have them parade twice and have a fuller syllabus. Is what it is.