Inspired by this thread, and the recent discussion about Value for Money I went digging into the Cadet Forces stats - specifically this lot… https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804484/MOD_Sponsored_Cadet_Forces_Statistics_April_2019.pdf
It details a summary of the current situation for the size of the cadet forces (the Community Cadets (the Sea Cadet Corps and Volunteer Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps) and the Combined Cadet Force.
The thing that really stood out for me was that the ATC is the only cadet forces which has successfully “Grown” it’s pool of CFAV - by 7.8% since April 2015 - and by the look of that line, most of it in the last 12 months.
Now, the last 12 months has, IMHO, seen us take a bit of a hammering with regards staff based issues. The CFC debacle. The issues over “Sign the Volunteer Agreement or leave”. The never ending conveyor belt of “mandatory courses”. The general feeling of “urgh” being experienced by many staff. With new staff coming through, we’re got the the faff of admin, the wait of the DBS, the issues around AVIPs etc.
I therefore find it hard to believe that all this - and with no additional national recruitment push, region initiatives or support - has seen us not just grow our numbers with a handful of staff here and there - but a swathe of staff sufficient for us to claim a near 8% rise!!!
So what has changed?? Have we genuinely seen this growth? Or is there a reporting anomaly? Are we recruiting more staff cadets post 18? Are they now being included in the Staff AND Staff Cadet numbers in this figure (double accounting?)? Does this coincide with “Registered CivCom” being added as an option on Bader?
Is Dawn is being championed by the Director of Cadet Forces as the savior of staffing in the cadet forces - when infact, it’s a glitch in the system inflating the numbers? Or have we actually got it right and we have recruited 7.8% more staff to squadrons??
Without getting back to the raw figures we’ll never know - and I doubt we’ll get to see them. But I’m open to others ideas…