I’ve lost 60% of my uniformed staff and over half my CIs. Though I don’t think they show in the stats we also lost several cadets who could have been staff cadets, and later CFAV.
And it can’t all be Covid as we’ve not kept the couple of staff who joined post lockdown.
Now it could just be down to me… (I hope it isn’t)
I fear the survey understates the true scale of the problem.
I dont think this is the full picture either. I have 2 out of my 8 staff who have resigned over 2 years ago but nobody has processed their resignations and removed them from SMS. They will eventually join the other 5 staff sat in the suspended part of SMS as their DBS’s expire. So thats 7 staff alone on one unit who have left but not reflected in this stats.
I think this is going to be a common thing across the org.
Especially this year where we have a lot of people silently quit due to activity and budget cuts.
A few thoughts.
This is total CFAV numbers on books.
Analysis - therefore this includes ‘dead weight’ not yet discharged or identified as having left.
Distribution will be uneven.
Analysis - what percentage are based on Sqn.
How many are wing or region or corps staff or central teams like SATTs etc etc.
Causes.
We know the causes. Loss of identifiable activities. Increased work and admin burden. Loss of privileges like VA. Lower satisfaction. Lower prestige for those it matters to. Loss of service engagenent. Cost of living increases leading to staff burn out. COVID. etc etc.
Questions.
At what point is the line in the sand where this is terminal? Or at least the offering is a shadow of its offer self. I would argue that it sits somewhere between 8000 and 10000 CFAVs. So we may well have crossed it already.
what is being done to rectify these problems? It seems and feels like nothing.
Closing.
Having had personal direct engagenent with ol tone recently, i can say first hand that his ineptitude knows no bounds, his grip on the issues is non existent and he cares not for the future of this org. My opinion is that he mentally clocked out a couple of months into the role.
Without substantial gripping of this org. With a clear, communicated vision, funded and executed to a plan, this org will be finished by 2040.
Sounds an eon away.
But thats only 16 years.
Or in cadet terms, only 3 ‘generations’ of cdt.
Sad, desperate times.
I’m coming towards the end of my ELA. Still unsure if I’m coming back. Currently considering a move to CI if I do come back. Would need to find a squadron I can transfer to as my work pattern means the CCF isn’t really an option right now.
But I’ve also arranged to go down to the local SCC unit and discuss joining them. All the jokes got me looking into it and realising it’s possibly a viable option.
Can someone work out the cadet/staff ratio please? For each year?
(Not in the frame of mind to be doing maths right now.)
About 4,5:1
And again, that’s not factoring in the number of CFAV not on squadrons.
That y scale/vertical compression (edit: on the combined graph) doesn’t quite do the change in CFAV numbers enough justice at a glance.
While you seem to be in the mood, can you do up a % change with a POS and neg y axis with both on as well?
This is the clearest way to see our immediate issues. If that trajectory continues we’re in real trouble.
Yeah something like that 
I wonder if there aren’t enough ways to display a continuing decline in CFAV numbers parallel to a pretty rapid rise in cadet numbers for someone important enough to take notice and realise they have a problem.
Although cries of “the admin burden is high and increasing” should be stronger with this data, however much it is argued that certain areas have been reduced (ignoring areas where it has been increased).
The original VoV admin burden survey was done in 2017.
I think it would be good to run the same survey again today. Exact same questions with exact same options for answers, and compare the two.
I also think a complete review of the original ToRs/stategy document for the VoV team needs to be done. Review it, and see what has been done to effect change. What’s worked, what hasn’t. Of those Key Deliverables a-m, what’s been done towards each point? Not only review it, but tack on some new questions if we redo the survey and ask if people think these points have been met or not.
Would definitely need questions on any actions resulting from the previous survey, but yes to same questions also for direct comparison.
Senior CFAV needs a review as well - has the individual not been effective, have they not been allowed to be effective, or is the role set up ineffectually?
One of the questions in there is length of service. Given what was discussed further up about the loss of highly experienced staff; that question would be interesting to compare then vs now.
My understanding was that whilst the role was touted as giving a volunteer voice at top level in practice the role was created purely to be ceremonial & is treated as such in reality by anyone with any real influence.
It was only bigged up more than it was to so volunteer was more likely to take it.
A statistic I would like to see which may require a FOI.
What has been the change in the number of paid staff supporting RAFAC?
I suspect if you look at the volunteer decrease it charts against the civil service reduction.
So:
Is the cadet experience improved over the last 5 years - Answers on a postcard
I must admit I am finding it harder and harder to keep going and I’m 12 years in.
I have no interest anymore to engage with the organisation at any level above squadron level. Even wing is so politically motivated.
I used to think I had another 20 years in me…I now cant see me doing 5…I may even be lucky to do that.
Sorry to lose you @VirtualRealityTrooper, but I really do get it.
