I used to worry about this as an SME.
I no longer do. After the Covid lull, once more my courses are oversubscribed.
In another discipline I support we have 7-8x more cadets than places.
If Sqns want the training they know where to find us!
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Ahh yeah I get you, you’re 100% right it would definitely be more beneficial for such a squadron’s cadets to focus on squadron run activities, as mentioned before a good way to do that could be for squadrons to 'opt out ’ of activities.
You’re also dead right that we need to be challenging such negativity and speaking out when things aren’t right, otherwise the organisation would struggle to improve
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I think this would be a bad idea. As a Sqn Commander I want to retain some control over what my cadets do. The chain of command needs to be followed and if you start circumventing it you will end up in a mess.
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Out of curiosity, what type of activities do you not advertise to your cadets?
and what reasons do you tell yourself when you make those decisions? Is it purely if you don’t like an activity? Is it when there are 2 activities the same day?
For me, the main reason is that none of our cadets are eligible.
I could share it, but there’s no point.
E.g. a bronze X course when all either have it already or don’t have blue. An MoI course when none have presentation skills. A range day when none have WHTs.
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I’m happy to admit that ive not shared wing run courses that are sat in draft, have no Activity IC, no counter signatory, and no RA uploaded, with only a basic description of what it entails.
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There are some apps that we, thinking about it, may decide not to share.
If a summer camp app came up, with only X slots for our unit, then rather than leave that open to bidding online, we’ll put an old fashioned sign up sheet on the noticeboard.
From there we have a shortlist. We pick the X cdts we believe best suited / most deserving / least likely to cause trouble / other criteria are available, and then add these to the app ourselves.
Cadets are still notified, still involved in the process, but we retain control over who’s going.
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I’d support this but with more programming behind it.
The email is sent the moment the unit is invited. The wording indicates that their unit will be auto-invited after date X (which is either 7, 10 or 14 days time) or their is a “decline invitation” option with box to justify. An OC cannot decline with the box empty.
They can then click “decline” upon which activity IC and Wg OC receive notification of the decline
Those units who accept all invites do nothing and is a admin reduction as in time X ots auto done.
Its only causes work for those who decline (and event IC for forward planning to allow for time X)
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With some reflection i somewhat agree with this mindset, certainly i know ive directly advised some cadets of courses that i know their eligible for (eg QAIC) instead of advertising it to everyone, although it does show the younger cadets some of the options available to them if they stick it out.
Although, certainly should we not be expecting some of the young adults we are developing to be mature enough to read the details to work out if their eligible?
Absolutely.
I only do this if there are none eligible (or possibly if I know there is one eligible but I know for certain that they aren’t interested (because they’ve told me)).
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The CoC works both ways, just saying.
Can’t argue with that,. Setting eligibility criteria for bit would be good. Not bronze for a silver course, can’t click bid would be great.
Can’t argue with that. The cadets are still being told about an event.
Work on introducing eligibility criteria is in progress. Some of the underlying architecture has already been done but the rest is still in the pipeline.
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Absolutely, but from experience a lot of Cadets don’t actually read the details, they like the sound of the title and away they go, for example I’ve had new Cadets sign up on Portal to an AFA course. The first I knew about it was a snotty email from the Wing FA Officer.
A weekly summary of who has signed up to what would have caught it, but that’s a different request 
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This pipeline. Has it per chance got someones foot on it throttling it down?
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Depends on the Pipe & what’s going through it/being smoked…
Volunteer time
Canvas for many many more people to assist!
Which in turn takes them away from delivering cadet activity, something you’ve complained about previously 
Also you need people to want to do more of what they are doing 9-5 which is difficult
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It’s called prioritising.
We need ultilearn gone.
Etc etc etc