100%
There are so many people missing the whole point of the PTS in this thread that it makes my head hurt.
One of the core aims of the PTS is that almost all Cadets would have most of the blue badges by the time they achieved first class. They were activities to be run alongside it (so that new joiners weren’t just classroomed to death), hence why it had its own log book.
This is what the CADETS wanted and last time I checked it was them wearing the badges.
I understand what you’re saying.
My comments should be taken in the context of a full classification review that removes the heavy classroom elements. I don’t believe that achieving “Master Cadet’ status should depend entirely on completing the academics when being a cadet is so much more.
But as much as cadets might want badges for everything, we can meet that general principle without devaluing them. Digital awards can mark progress and then badges can be saved for more significant achievements.
Achievement is about overcoming adversity and challenge, and I’d wager most blue badges don’t really signify much in the way of challenge.
I would do away with most of the classroom lessons entirely above first class and use the PTS as most of the replacement.
That’s why the badge is blue and not gold. With the average cadet career being what 12-18 months most Cadets would have barely any badges by the time they left and digital badges aren’t worth naff all.
I would suggest that we award classification based on credit style system. Each PTS level carries a certain number of credits, and the number of credits you have determines your classification. You can still have academic options for those who don’t have as much opportunity to undertake PTS elements. I also broadly support the replacement of 1st class with an AS2 rank slide and then AS1 for those cadets who achieve more but haven’t reached CPL. I appreciate it then gets difficult for those senior/master that don’t attain a leadership position.
Preach.
But why does a cadet leaving after 12-18 months need to have an arm full of badges?
I’d say that’s focussing on the wrong thing.
What giving Cadets a foundation in lots of different things? That’s exactly what we should be doing with the average cadet.
They always got that, but now we’re teaching them that something isn’t worth doing unless there’s a badge for it.
In my day, annual camps were time away from any kind of syllabus and were all about the experience of being on an RAF station, with cadets from other sqns, doing something different, with zero opportunities to earn badges (other than maybe a marksmanship badge).
Or we spoke to customers and asked them what they wanted.
The world and what we have left of an air force have moved on, stations aren’t capable of providing that sort of experience anymore so we need to make our own training programmes. Even then beyond maybe a first aid course and some IWT/Shooting I haven’t yet seen an annual camp which is PTS focussed, (I have seen Wing Camps built that way, but then that’s not the same thing).
Sometimes I do feel like you’re not very generous with how you interpret what I’m saying.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t focus on these activities. I’m saying we perhaps shouldn’t be dishing out badges for all of them, especially not at an incredibly basic level with minimal time investment.
But the customer is not always right. We can honour the spirit of their desire without overdoing it. It also doesn’t mean we have to stick with things — we’ve already rationalised a bit.
It would be easy enough to find many things they might want that we should not necessarily indulge exactly how they might want us to.
They always had the option of joining Venture / Explorer Scouts if they wanted an armful of badges.
And every airman who wanted a beard could’ve joined the navy, but a decision was made that it might aid recruitment and retention.
It’s almost like those things are important.
Do not bring beards into this, they have feelings you know
got a shaving chit, which they did.
I think we’re getting a bit “sith” about this.
We’re not either with you or against you on this. There’s a lot of room for manoeuvre here.
I agree with you that these things are important and I agree with recognition — I’m passionate about it.
I just don’t think that 4 tiers of physical badges for as many activities as possible is the answer.
I think that a badge should represent a significant amount of attainment and investment, and that it is certainly desirable to chunk the training into smaller parts, but we ultimately want any training to be retained long term.
Nijmegen is a significant achievement that necessitates long term training and a qualifying event.
Shooting quals in theory likely involve a lot of practice and mastery of skills. I’m not against lower level quals here to mark the level you’ve obtained.
First aid doesn’t really need a badge at every level — a silver and gold badge would be motivation enough for cadets to cover require pre-training and work towards it over time. One for a proper qualification and the other for instructor-level chops.
So much else could be rolled-in as progression points for a classification / core progression syllabus. That would mean literally everything still had value and could be used to drive a cadet’s progression through the core syllabus, making classifications mean something more than they do.
I agree that 4 tiers is a bit much and the idea of digital badges could really work but then how do we show other cadets that that cadet has achieved a base level of training?
Promotion to cdt AS2.
Yeh, that’s what I’d use Cdt AS2 and then Cdt AS1 for.
Cdt AS2 replaces First Class Cadet with a rank. The culmination of a larger body of effort which is clearly defined if they wish to advance.
Cdt AS1 replaces Leading Cadet with a rank, signifying the completion of not just that core first class knowledge, but anything we might deem a requirement for an experienced cadet (basic nav, principles of flight, air ops, a certain level of fieldcraft and perhaps a smattering of other stuff like more first aid knowledge).
Then they become eligible for further advancement.
