After 31 years from Cadet to staff I’ve had enough (44 years old). When a hobbie becomes a chore and you stop enjoying it, it’s time to throw it away and find something else. I’m getting out before I say something that means I leave under a cloud. I’ve managed so far not do anything that means I’m booted out under a cloud…well maybe told a few WSO’s a few home truths!
Being treated like a baby and constantly hearing negative developments, tonight I hand in my resignation. I’m offering an 8 week notice, but I won’t be up -set if tonight at 21:30 the uniform is in the wash for the last time.
Honestly people, keep up the good work! Your efforts are appreciated by those who really matter…The CADETS. And some staff (CFAV and Perms.) need to remember that!
@Batfink has hit the nail on the head, loss of corporate knowledge is the greatest problem for any organisation, but I suspect far more in the RAFAC as they have to rely on the volunteer cadre to survive as an entity.
A loss of 21% is a large drop and looking at this in a physical manner, a Squadron of 10 staff or even 5 staff, can they afford to lose 20% of the CFAV cadre? This sort of loss means the cadet offer reduced and dependent on the CFAVs skills and abilities, which may be a lot of that a Squadron’s offer. The grinding down of activities that CFAVs enjoy and more importantly morale amongst the CFAV cohort at Squadron level.
Covid and ‘lockdown’ has had effect, people re-evaluating their lives, employment and family commitment, in particular that daddy is around looking after their wife and children at weekends and evenings rather than being out at the ATC. The changes to VA and will have an effect, either as an incentive to the DCoS to ‘allow’ weekends away etc or to make up shortfalls in equipment for the individual to safely pursue activities.
Then you have the problems that @VirtualRealityTrooper encountered with a WSO and their attitude, CFAVs are now I suspect less likely to tolerate such an attitude.
The big question for the RAFAC at a corporate level is why have the ACF/SCC are recruiting, is it because their ‘offer’ to CFAVs is far better and in particular the one night a week parades, a lack of a ‘nannying’ attitude from above, poorly thought out communications. The other question is how many have left the ATC and moved to the ACF/SCC or terminated being a CFAV altogether.
Group Captain Andy Pass MBE takes up the role of Senior Volunteer Advisor today, 29th June 2021, reporting to Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Tony Keeling. His job is to ensure that the volunteer perspective is represented in policy areas. Key to this will be to influence the RAFAC Senior Leadership Team on the change programme to support the RAF Air Cadets Astra programme.
Given how much HQAC likes a review, is it time to review the post of ‘Senior Volunteer Advisor’?
Losing this many staff and doing nothing to support those left would be grounds for a sacking in the private sector!
5 (or close to) being far more common (I suspect), that’s an entire category of activities lost for many units.
That’s wings losing 20% of their larger scale delivery as well - 20% of AT capacity lost (again with only 1 or 2 with certain specialist qualifications, or even 3 or 4, that’s 25, 50, or higher loss in that area potentially.
20% of fieldcraft, except no it’s higher in some areas due to extended pauses or currency loss during lockdown and then the changeover of the syllabus…
…so it’s really no wonder that more are feeling strained and over-stressed, even before you factor in the multitude of changes and additions that have been put upon CFAV.
Yet HQAC and the Commandant have the gall to puff their chests, talking about the good work they’re doing.
If something doesn’t change rapidly, from the top, to tackle recruitment and retention, yes.
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.
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.
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.
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).
