Changes to over 18s - New IBN for WEF 2024

You’ve got me there. Thought we were talking about cadets aging out rather than minimum joining age for CFAV.

Now where’s that staff retention thread… I can tell you as a fact that making people leave for 6 months ain’t good for retention!

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Correct. Only Cadets on turning 18 can become a CFAV at 18, and even then with an enforced move or >6month break.

Where’s it say that ? My understanding was that you couldn’t join as a SC (staff cadet) unless you were previously a cadet.

CIs in the CCF could already be appointed at 18

You’re talking about something else. You are correct you can’t walk in off the street and be a staff cadet, you need to have been an u18 cadet first.

But you also can’t walk in off the street at 18 and be a CFAV now.

And CIs have to be 20 according to the document, regardless of if they’re CCF or ATC

Then that’s age discrimination from the off then.

Sorry my interpretation was that that the age for CFAVs was needing dropped to 18 across the board so you could take walk ins who are school leavers.

Someone really didn’t want the policy to change did they.

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I thought that was the plan too, but if it was no one told whoever has actually written the policy

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It was frustrating to read that

One of the benefits of lowering to 18 was that potentially we could get some people in that could before. For me it was the cadet who left at 16 to focus on GcSE/work whatever and then came back at 18/19 because they enjoyed their time.

But other than get them on the civ com I can’t do anything with them. I was hopeful the policy change would include them

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So now if you live rurally and far away from other squadrons, are aged 17y6m, don’t drive and parents don’t want to drive you you have these options:

A) stay as a staff cadet, get access to some courses but get treated like a child in essence
B) leave for at least 6 months

It means the army & sea cadets will just poach our volunteers who are keen & interested.

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I’m so so tempted to put in an FOI to find out who’s been meddling & thrown this idea in - it’s clearly a wreaking amendment trying to prevent the policy being changed & the age being lowered.

But as it’s such a new policy if enough of us email direct in to CAC then perhaps it can get tweaked & changed to what it should be.

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This is where the town halls have completely flopped imo. If this was all released a few days before the town hall, with somewhere to leave comments, all these things could have then been answered in the town hall.

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That presumes they thought about the second and third order effects and could provide answers - not convinced frankly!

agreed - they have just become another platform for one way comms from the top to the bottom, and forgotten there should be a two way discussion element to it. else why bother streaming it live, just have the script read out, in a more professional filming setting and style (ie not at a desk staring at the webcam) this would save paid staff attending outside of their usual office hours, and then publish the video, to play live at the desired time, and maintain the question element.

Someone from the media team hosts the call, plays the pre-filmed “announcements” and the media team/others field the questions accordingly.

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I’m really hoping ACP 20 is just wrong. The IBN was very clear:

• Lowering of eligibility age from 20 to 18 to be a CFAV supporting the ATC, VGS and AGS and aligning with CCF.

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What seems odd is that ACP20 doesn’t look like it has allowed 18 year old CFAVs for CCF before the change. It says eligibility is 20.

Nah, there was a caveat for CI and SNCO criteria that said that you need to be 20, except within the CCF. I’m not at a PC right now so can’t find it, but it was certainly the!

18 year old leaves, how many will return and indeed they may just encourage their peer group there is life outside the cadets.

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