Yeah our wing has 5 of them with 5-6 squadrons in each, for us it works well as geographically the Wing is spread out but sector wise, we have all of our squadrons within a 18 mile radius of each other.
We haven’t had a new SNCO in years, we have a WO who has been there as a WO for over 25 years but nothing in terms of Sgt’s etc.
We seem to be getting more SNCOs in the Wing than officers; staff don’t want the pressures of command!!
For us there isn’t the middle ground it’s either CI or officers.
Because you get pooped upon once pushed into command after all the platitudes of ‘Get pooped on? Oh no, that won’t happen’…
I can confirm. Brown stuff rolls downhill.
There’s a difference to it rolling downhill provoked and a dumper truck load being tipped unwarranted as you’re finding your feet.
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I had the latter scenario on in mind
Oooh! Outreach teams of SMEs at Wing level maybe. Along similar line to the RAF’s recently reintroduced Motivational Outreach Teams at regional level or the RAF Youth & STEM Team which tours the country and UK military establishments worldwide delivering STEM activities.
RAFAC SME Outreach Teams now that’s an idea…………. Let’s see how it takes for someone to claim that one as their idea…………
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Hi Shakey, cynical as ever I see. Agree on RAFAC creating MOTs of SMEs that all units can get the benefit of. Could be a good use of the CCT staff if there will be any left……… I’ll give you a call when I see that you are green…….
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I feel like the NCO / commissioned officer split dilemma suffers significantly from a loss of clarity / distinction, compounded by the fact they’re both a big deal to apply for (commissioning has extra steps) and you can’t really go back once you transition to the CFC.
Without opening the whole adult JNCO thing up again (though I’ll mention it below), there could certainly be merit to aligning NCO ranks to more things like squadron adj and training officer, providing rank progression within the unit and reserving the commission for just the OC and key wing planning / co-ordination roles.
It feels like such a big jump to go from one to the other (and it’s irreversible, really) that we should perhaps be limiting what we give a CFC for, so people aren’t nudged onto that path to fill establishments and we instead make use of other NCO ranks, but make them mean something.
And on the JNCO ranks, reservists start from the beginning. I consider that a pretty reasonable parallel to draw for an experienced adult joining our RAF family ab initio, regardless of capacity.
For a full flavour, it could look something like:
AS-AS1 : Training and development (AS2 after basic training, AS1 after a year)
Cpl : Trained sqn instructor with 2 years as AS1
Sgt : significant experience as a CFAV instructor (with 5 years as a substantive cpl and some sort of other significant experience during that period, like a weekend camp). Perhaps the Sqn’s “chief instructor”.
FS : Key unit administrative role (perhaps with some time served as a substantive sgt) — adjutant or training SNCO (I my RAuxAF unit has sgts in those posts, but that doesn’t matter).
WO : Wing WO, Region WO, WORAFAC
I’d have my “Sqn SNCO” / “SWO” be my senior cadet, as the pinnacle of their cadet career.
And if the CFAV ever goes on camp and needs accommodating in the SNCO mess, we give them probationary sgt…
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I don’t think that would work - or only if all MOD CFs adopted the same pattern.
That said there is merit in rank to rule and whilst we do have that in a roundabout way in the matricies, stipulating Adj or Trg Off for promotion to FS or Fg Off could work. But then a lot of units haven’t got those filled (or are filling them with CIs).
But back to the shortage of NCOs, there must be something that puts people off applying for Sgt. And that’s a problem.
We’re already different from the ACF by having so many civilian instructors and chaplains that are not commissioned officers, so how would having adult junior ranks be any different?
SCC is also different on the cadet ranks side by having more ranks below leading cadet (JNCO) level and none above PO.
We make it a really big deal.
That’s the problem.
Lower the starting rank to the very bottom with no expectation except maximum support and establish that people are simply suitable to volunteer as CFAV.
Then get them into uniform.
Edit: and possibly reduce the number of uniforms we require. I lose so much house to uniforms.
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This is more of a general comment on uniform rather than the SNCO/Off split; Something I think that is missing is allowing appropriately experienced CIs to go into uniform as direct FS and/or direct Fg Off. It may help encourage those CIs who’ve been CIs for many years to go into uniform, as currently, you basically would get kicked down to being an ‘unexperienced’ staff member.
If all staff were in uniform and utilising the full range of ranks, telling the experienced from the inexperienced would be a whole lot easier.
And again, the system is a bit out of whack when we’re considering a sgt “inexperienced” (although I understand what you’re saying).
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I wouldn’t conflate experience with competence.
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Well, no, that’s what competency frameworks are for.
I think we’re making it harder for ourselves if we remove the flexibility that the current system allows. Right now you can pick which route you want and it has little impact on the role you want to have in the organisation, which I think is a strength.
Until there is a real benefit to going into uniform (other than VA), it’s always going to be a hard sell to many CIs, regardless of what rank they’d go into.