Eventually I expect their will be a cadet record of service printout available on Units. One of the RCs is pushing hard for this. So cadet comes to their last night, hands in uniform and is handed a nicely printed document, bound in rawhide and velum, with a full breakdown of their cadet achievements.
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“There’s too much admin”
…
“Give me a small book that I have to sign 30 times a year despite already putting the data online”
I’m glad to see the back of it. A pain to update, constantly needing replacement, regularly being forgotten. There’s a lot of talk of pride in the 3822, but that was long gone among the cadets before MyRAFAC was even mentioned - albeit mostly killed by a lack of anything to put in it.
You want memories? There are photos and actual memories for that. No one sits down 20 years later and thinks “oh yeah I remember my 17th WHT on the L98 and that time I fired 5 rounds”.
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There are improvement to the “cadet CV” being floated around, but it’s lower priority and will be post-Units at the earliest (is my understanding).
Possibly, I don’t move in such exalted circles
What about those cadets who are not allowed to have a mobile by their parents or the parents have taken it off them because they have misused it?
There’s already a thread for this:
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We had a reunion of my old sqn for its 80th in 2019. A number of us had our 3822s, ranging from 1964 to 2012, which sparked all manner of memories and sharing with current cadets who looked at the list of camps, flying, shooting etc with disbelief. The current OC, who wasn’t a cadet, was impressed, compared to what we do now.
3822s are an intrinsic part of the cadet experience, more so than a jumble of code. Just because you can do something electronically doesn’t mean you should. So what if we have to sign it. We do have some miserable sods around. Let’s be honest ‘electronic’ has been adopted because it’s cheep not because it’s better. The problem with electronic this and that especially in a cadet context is accessing when they leave. The problems will be exacerbated when you have software and or OS updates and or the format is no longer supported down the line. Let’s face it HQAC like doing IT on the cheap and annoying people involved along the way, which has created its problems, so you can guarantee problems.
Easy enough to make something yourself for cadets, I wouldn’t give the cadet CV air time. But I can’t see the problem with printing them for every cadet. A quick look around commercial printers and 50000 A6 booklets depending on the number of pages (36 to 44) 20p to 25p each, which in the grand scheme of money wasted by the MoD wouldn’t even make a footnote. If the MoD printers can’t beat that I would be amazed. However getting them done externally does mean entering into a proper supplier contract rather than the messing around with MoD procurement, so they would be delivered and if not there would be proper procedures to follow.
Are people really that naïve to think the few pence saved per cadet on printing 3822s will be spent on something that benefits every cadet.
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Out of curiosity, did many bring photos of old cadet days, camps etc
With everything going digital photos are no longer hard copy but stored in the cloud meaning there is little for future generations to reflect back on.
There is a suggestion you get photos printed into an archive album but I’ve not really looked into this & even if it’s a viable idea.
The replacement of the 3822 with the app has been discussed ad nauseum - it’s been replaced, we move on.
I know this topic started as a bit of rant re the app but I feel it is so much wider in scope on how the tech has both empowered but also hindered us in delivering the cadet experience.
I can’t imagine that in the old days events were rejected in whims or minor technicalities because of the time taken to get everything approved.
Wing staff did have a lot of status because the lag in Comms meant that they had to be able to make those local command decisions. Now HQAC can impose restrictions with an hour notice & expect everyone to go along with things. Wing staff no longer enjoy the glamour & status they once did.
I would be interested in what others think about how the quest to use the latest tech has both helped & hindered the organisation. 
To me it’s not the tech that’s the problem. It’s the poor use of tech. emails could be used so much better rather than the constant deluge of poorly thought through Comms which hide the useful stuff.
Likewise the failure to manage SharePoint has rendered it largely unusable as a resource, especially when you consider we prefer to update policy by IBN rather than updating they policy documents so you can never be quite sure what the policy is at any given time. Unless it’s an emergency the policy document update should be at the same time as the IBN. I used to think SharePoint was the problem, until I used it elsewhere and I realised that it was a PICNIC error
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I don’t think anyone thinks that at all. Nor has anyone alluded to that. The switch is part driven by the need to cut the expenditure of the organisation, as well as remove the risk of cadets or staff misplacing 3822s full of sensitive personal information.
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Once again I see and agree with the discussion. It isn’t really the tech thats the problem. It is the fact that things are getting more dependant on digital every day.
Aside from that my 3822 provides memories and It is a shame that they are no longer made, online services and overall digitalization is good when it’s used as an appropriate tool. Unfortunately with the ever-growing threat of cyber attacks and who-knows-what with the upcoming years, half of data may simply be purged out by cyber attacks or shutdowns.
Let’s remember that nearly all data online is stored in servers and servers can be hacked or destroyed for whatever reasons. It is important to keep a balance, not become overly dependent on something that could potentially fail, taking down the organization into jeopardy.
That’s why we have backups. At my work, our main system database is backed up every 3 hours. Those backups are stored on replicated storage servers. I have no idea what kind of backup process is done on cadet records, but you would probably need something pretty catastrophic to destroy them permanently.
Not as the new. As an ID.
Despite whst many believe the 3832 was never a formal form of ID.
In my opinion the individual consent forms TG21/23 started off any pride in a 3822.
Whereas prior a 3822 was a Cadet’s “passport” to attend events containing all the necessary NOK details when that information was required on the consent form (as well as written consent) that is all activity ICs became interested in.
The admin task for the CFAV was collecting in TG forms and suddenly there was less reason to carry the 3822…
As more importance and greater use (ie any and all activities required them) of the TG form occurred staff lost interest in the 3822 which spread through to the Cadets…
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When we said we were going we were asked for photos and cutting from papers for displays. Being a bit of a geek for personal history I have a number of things which I took along as well.
The problem with online/digital is we are losing the written word. And yes I get the irony of things like this forum. My 3822 enries are mostly in my handwriting and has got the handwriting of different staff and signatures and initials of 3 sqn cdrs and other staff, which all add to the historic value. The jumle of code has nothing of this. I know that within the Air Cadets, history is a dirty word, just try asking for anything related to squadron history from within the organisation and you draw a blank. With electronic RoS cadets will not leave with something in their hands to mark a period of their lives which we hope means something. It’s not the umpteen WHTs and the like it’s the activities, awards and other achievement written personally that cannot be replicated electronically.
It is irony that we still have to have physical documents some with photos to prove who we are and here we have removed something like that, to save a few pence. Just think of setting up bank accounts, getting passports and driving licences? Go into a bank (if you can find a branch) and try and set up a bank account without several physical ID. Getting onto a military establishment requires physical photo ID. Getting a DBS requires physical ID.
I really got into my family history by it being available online, which does allow you to progress it, much easier than visiting records offices and libraries trawling through documents and microfiche. But holding things touched by your forebears has a special resonance, that cannot be replicated looking at some words on a screen.
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…at the moment. Considering MyRAFAC is the budgie in the mine.
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I believe the plan is the service ID Card will follow suit in time to come
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As far as I’m aware there are some low level trials somewhere.
Aldershot is currently trialing a digital pass for vehicle passes. So something may follow for defence ID.
Problems do then ensure in PED red and PED amber zones… But I’m sure a solution will come.
I’m pretty sure I saw some PR announcement that Northolt was trialling it!
Yeah, I can see it working there.
And with the royal flight based there’s there will be some PED red/amber zones. So a good place to try it.
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I don’t think it is a dirty word, just that it is hassle & not something they care about. Not everyone has the interest in history & it just leads to apathy.
Also records from the early days are often not kept or are chaotic so it can be hard to work through. I suspect a lot of the early paperwork was either thrown away, destroyed in the war or is sitting in an archives cellar at Kew going mouldy.
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