Hey all, is there any training courses for SNCO’s to use SMS? Ive heard AVIP partly covers this but not too sure if its true. Also, is it possible for an SNCO to take on the acting adjutant role or do they need to be a training officer? Any help is appreciated.
There is the ACTO 10 training package on Learn. This is a mandatory item, so should be done by all new CFAV.
Officers, SNCO’s and CI’s can all hold the Adjutant post (or the Training Officer post for that matter), just depends on your squadron’s staffing requirements.
As @JoeBloggs says, ACTO10 is the training course covering Event Management Procedures in RAFAC.
As OP is a cadet (also presumably under 18 if they’ve not yet done AVIP), I’m not aware of there being any set rules, however I wouldn’t want one to be an adj considering all the personal information that’s bandied around.
I’m not keen on cdts being execs of any type. They should be enjoying being a cadet, not bogged down by tedious admin jumping through hoops.
I appreciate in some places there are few options, but the practise doesn’t sit right with me.
It certainly shouldn’t be first choice, but sometimes it is a good choice. I’ve known a few staff cadet FS/CWOs who have been in the adj/training role. Even a CWO OC at one point.
It happens, but shouldn’t be the norm!
Don’t know about this one…
But otherwise, if they’ve got a penchant for admin, enjoy it, and want to take on the responsibility, then why not TO or Adj? Imagine that on the CV of a 20 year old that’s landed on your desk!
ACTO10 is the right place to go but, if I remember, it doesn’t cover specifics (as with everything the more you use it the easier it gets).
Personally I’ve no issue with who takes the Adj/TO. If they have the aptitude, let them do it…
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I think Afj/TO (mostly TO) is a good gateway role from Staff Cadet to Sqn CFAV.
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TO or even just running one element of the programme, we used to have a SNCO ideally a Staff Cadet responsible for our recruit intake. Fully responsible, writing the training programme, getting the uniform request done and the F3822’s in. Planning a recruit camp/training day and learning how to do all the Bader Admin for that.
They obviously needed a lot of hand holding and support but it was very much a crash course in all the skills a CFAV needs.
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Is training officer an official position?
Anything can be an official position, but the main roles that have accounts provided, and are standard across most units, are; OC, Adj, TO, and SNCO.
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AVIP has a module on using RAFAC IT Systems, it’s a total of 3 slides so very depends on who is delivering that module on the course. I deliver it in my wing as the Bader Officer and do a whistle stop tour of the whole system but it’s very much an overview.
In reality there isn’t, there is the ACTO 10 eLearning Module but this is leaving about event authorisation rather than using the system. There is an additional optional eLearning module in relation to the events module of SMS.
Are you a Cadet SNCO or CFAV SNCO? If you are a cadet are you approaching your 18th birthday and being a Staff Cadet, some of your posts have had blurred lines with it being unclear.
I’d be happy to run an “Admin / SMS” course or training piece but I do wonder what interest level there would be so it tends to be via mentoring of my staff / senior cadets when they are running activities where I guide them towards what I consider to be best practice.
Im a cadet SNCO and I turn 18 at the end of July. Im also Middlesex wing. As a wing bader officer, what is your opinion on the use of SMS by nco’s? From what ive heard some squadrons allow thier ncos to use SMS whilst others only allow their training officer to use it. Currently, my CO is the only uniformed member of staff at my squadron and he does all the admin. We havent seen a course/event available to cadets for months, which is why im so frustated and keen to help my boss with it, so i can bring my squadron out of the pidgeon hole its currently in.
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I am not in your wing, but our Bader Officer has said previously that in order to access the suite of Bader applications (SMS, Generic e-mail inbox etc), you must have at least a BPSS in place. You may already have done that as part of your transition to Staff Cadet. Whether you have to actually be 18 before you are allowed access - I do not know.
On our Sqn, all of our CFAV’s have access to SMS and need to as you cannot be an Event IC without access. Does that mean that your OC is Event IC for every activity you run on SMS at a Sqn level? Perhaps more CFAV have access than you think?
We also allow some Staff cadets access, but we usually restrict this to our CWO or highest ranking cadets - again, Staff Cadets can be an activity IC - but need access to SMS to be able to tick the certification box as Activity IC.
You will be missing loads of opportunities if no one is periodically checking SMS events and releasing to Cadet Portal - like people have said previously, though, there are valid reasons for not publishing every event as cadets have a habit of signing up to things without checking the eligibility criteria and making the unit look bad when they all have to withdraw or get rejected.
All of my Staff Cadets have access as does my FS, but they have varying levels of access.
Primarily Registers & Events with no access to cadet or staff personal data.
The use varies amongst them, for example one is running events almost bi monthly so the use is higher.
How many staff do you have in addition to your OCs, I assume you have a number of CIs, could any of them help here?
Have you spoken to your OC? A good angle could be that you saw event X on social media but didn’t know about it in advance in CP, had the sqn been invited / how do you and over cadets get access to similar events in the future.
Is this an under 18 FS?
Yes and words
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One of my old units every NCO had access, it varied greatly but all of the Cpl’s had access purely to add attendance registers (they used an iPad to take attendance straight into SMS).
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I’m wondering how you managed this? I tried, but was explicitly told it was not allowed. AFAIK, and as i was told, you need a BPSS for any Bader access, which I couldn’t get for my 17 year old cadet. So was told its a no.
Not calling you out, I just want to know how it’s allowed so i can make it happen too!
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Cadet Bader accounts are created by the OC (the same as non-role staff accounts) they also set the permissions.
No reason that a Cadet can’t be given access with very limited permissions before they turn 18.
What permissions did you want them to have?