Hiya,
My squadron is currently having a tough time recruiting new cadets our numbers are really low :(, and i’ve just become the most SNCO so could someone help me with some advice on how to recruit successfully?
Such as getting the cadets actually involved in the recruiting and not always sending the staff etc
this would be a real help!
Thanks in advance guys 
The best people to recruit new cadets are the current cadets.
We ran a really comprehensive exercise in a local school that we had a really good relationship with. We got into a morning assembly for the appropriate year, the OC or SWO did a quick 60 second intro and then we used cadets from the years above who attended the same school in uniform to talk about what they’ve done whilst running a slide show in the background illustrating the activities. The key thing was not to have the staff talking, let the cadets talk as the audience finds it easier to identify with them. At lunchtime we had a static display with pics of stuff we do on display boards, a couple of cadets in flying suits, helmets and parachutes, a couple more in band kit with their instruments and letting people have a go. The opportunity to ask questions was there, and we were handing out copies of the air cadet magazine and a FAQ type leaflet for parents for them to take home.
In short the staff support and facilitate the event, but the most powerful message is from the cadets themselves, and lots of things to look at are the key.
Dont know if this will help but when our Sqn had the same problem I spoke to the Cadets and asked if they could all bring a friend in with them. Belive it or not most of those friends stayed with us and effectivly doubled the size of our sqn.
Very low tech and simple but it works
What OP suggests is great if you have staff and cadets who can spare the time and the school is accommodating.
Things to consider when recruiting into a sqn that has hit a dip in numbers, in no particular order:
Where and when are you going to do your recruitment and what is your target audience? We put flyers in local shops, libraries and so on. If we can get into the schools we do Yr9 in September and Yr8 in February given there will be a number of 13 year olds in Yr8.
Who is available to be there? You really need cadets. A couple of years ago we had a lad go into his old school Sgt stripes, DofE, marksman and GS and apparently the headmaster was astounded as he had him down as a pain in the neck when he was in school.
Do you need anything special equipment wise if doing something in a school?
What resources have you got for potential cadets and parents?
Can they turn up on spec or are you having a new recruit night/period. Intakes are the way to do things as it makes life so much easier training wise, than cadets just turning up.
Lastly are staff and cadet NCOs prepared for what might be coming, even 10 new cadets can create problems, unless you are prepared mentally and physically what this means and don’t expect them all to stay, expect attrition rates of 30%-40%?
A few years back we got 33 at the intake evening, 25 turned up for the first night and 17 were enrolled. But having 20 odd new cadets meant changing what we did room use wise.
worthy advice there from GHE2
a former Cdt FS took it upon himself to sort out a school assembly and open day (Saturday) at the Sqn…we had a massive intake, 20+ and had arounf 14 actually stick around. we (the Staff) were not prepared for this
classrooms needed consideration to accomodate the large numbers, instructors needed extra tiem to complete the first class syllabus given the larger class size
even stores struggled with the sudden demand on uniform
as CAC has mentioned in her “plan” with the right staff the Cadets will come, having it the other way round causes alot of work for the Staff!!
This is one way the strategy displays no knowledge or understanding of the dynamic at a local level. It normally works get the cadets in and adults seem more interested. But what we need is a slicker process to get new staff on the books.
[quote=“kimannmay” post=10584]Hiya,
My squadron is currently having a tough time recruiting new cadets our numbers are really low :(, and i’ve just become the most SNCO so could someone help me with some advice on how to recruit successfully?
Such as getting the cadets actually involved in the recruiting and not always sending the staff etc
this would be a real help!
Thanks in advance guys :)[/quote]
Looking again at your original post, perhaps there should be a bit of a look at what is currently causing the problems. Presumably its a retention problem that is causing the low numbers, so you may need to sort out any internal issues rather than just bring more newbies in and have them leave.
My boss has a mantra at work; If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll always end up with the same result.
In the last 2 weeks we have had 7 cadets leave because they don’t think they can manage Yr11 and 6th Form/College work and doing ATC. I normally get 3 or 4 but this is unusual. Five of these are ones we had earmarked for promotion. I suggested doing one night a week (I’ve got 5 cadets doing this) due to the benefits membership can bring to a CV and job applications, and, I know from experience of my own kids that schoolwork in the modern era is not a constant and getting it done more down to personal time management than anything else. Also there is the pressure from parents, which we have no influence/control over.
I spoke to the FS with the TO last night to see what was going on and he told me he was surprised they had lasted this long as they had all been saying for some time how they were struggling with schoolwork and doing cadets. He said that there was nothing wrong with what we did on the sqn.
Four of these cadets took extended leave in May and June and were not around much in July which I put down to families taking cheaper holidays in term time without whingeing and whining from schools.
To this end low numbers might have nothing to do with what the sqn does. We as an organisation are totally at the mercy of external influences.
Recruiting issues remain the same throughout, but retention is in many ways out of our immediate control.
[quote=“glass half empty 2” post=11477]We as an organisation are totally at the mercy of external influences.
Recruiting issues remain the same throughout, but retention is in many ways out of our immediate control.[/quote]
I respectfully disagree. I have experience of a high performing Sqn traumatically losing its OC and then steadily the staff team. The replacement OC has presided over a period of decay that has seen a 80 strong Sqn parading 50+ a night as a regular feature to one that is barely viable numbers wise that can pull together a formal parade of 24. One could argue that external factors caused the splitting up of what was undoubtedly a “winning” team, but when that team was together they dealt with many external challenges to their success and the tempo that they worked at. At the end of the day what happens at the Sqn in terms of performance is ultimately the responsibility of the OC and staff team. A good team will communicate and co-operate and provide a stimulating experience for the cadets through a shared vision of “what looks good” and work to overcome or mitigate external challenges.
It is hard work, it takes lots of time and dedication, and this perfect storm of talent and attitude takes some development and pulling together - but with those qualities no team is an absolute slave to external factors.
Fully agreed OP.
In my old Sqn the training programme was anything but stimulating. During prep for classification exams everything worked well but after we went through weeks and weeks of pure laborious boredom for the cadets. Because the training co-ordinating staff were lethargic and lacked imagination it was same old-same old week after week.
There maybe external influences from above that affects our training in theory, but we can’t just sit around and accept it. The Cadets are the nucleus of what we do and why we do it. But it is the staff in no small part who form and mould the way the nucleus grows.
Maybe we have gone a bit off topic here because the initiating thread asked for advice so hopefully I can get us back on topic. We did a recruitment drive in early December over a weekend in a shopping centre in our city centre. This was a massive advantage as we had both youngsters and parents doing Xmas shopping so we garnered both their feeling at the same time. We recruited 17 and kept 12 which wasn’t too bad.
It would appear this describes a situation where the previous OC was almost revered and anyone taking over, more so if they came from outside, was going to have an uphill task on their hands.
It would also appear that the “winning team” couldn’t deal with or rise to the external challenge of losing “their OC” and working with the new one. Thus this squadron was totally affected by an external challenge.
What I don’t understand is how the change of OC impacted recruitment? To sustain any number of cadets requires large numbers joining to offset losses. Get one or two recruiting drives that don’t get the numbers and overall numbers drop. New cadets joining would know nothing of what went before. Even if they get the ‘we used to do …’, which if the staff up stakes is always going to be a problem.
It would appear this describes a situation where the previous OC was almost revered and anyone taking over, more so if they came from outside, was going to have an uphill task on their hands.
It would also appear that the “winning team” couldn’t deal with or rise to the external challenge of losing “their OC” and working with the new one. Thus this squadron was totally affected by an external challenge.
What I don’t understand is how the change of OC impacted recruitment? To sustain any number of cadets requires large numbers joining to offset losses. Get one or two recruiting drives that don’t get the numbers and overall numbers drop. New cadets joining would know nothing of what went before. Even if they get the ‘we used to do …’, which if the staff up stakes is always going to be a problem.[/quote]
I think you are quite right in a lot of ways. The staff team was young - only two staff members were over 40 (including the OC) the SWO was late 20s and everyone else (around a dozen) were in their early to mid-20s and were ex-cadets. Racing Stick thinks we are going off topic but I disagree. The first rule of recruiting is to make sure there is a robust plan in place to ensure retention. This OC (and he was not an average OC) had that plan in place that way beyond the couple of hours twice a week that a lot of Sqns have. It cost a hell of a lot of time - at one point it was realised that the amount of time going into Sqn business was basically a full time job in terms of hours. Luckily he and some of his staff had jobs that allowed that to happen - you can argue that is a rare positive external factor 
- but the point I was hoping to make is that you can recruit ten cadets a week, but if you are losing ten cadets a week because of boredom with what is being offered then you are on a hiding to nothing. Active retention is more important than active recruiting although neither should be ignored at the expense of the other. As the saying goes: “Build it and they will come” and I’ll add “If they enjoy the ride, they’ll stay”.
Blimey, around a dozen staff!
To be honest the fact that there were so many young staff (so probably no family committments) and as said available to do most things, including the CO seemingly doing a lot behind the scenes, would help enormously wrt success. I’d give body parts to have half that many staff that were just able to commit time to organising / delivering things. Anyone coming in as OC (even new staff may have struggled to match the committment) would have struggled hugely to fill the hole, unless they had a similar job and time availability. This includes developing professional/social relationships with the staff, many of whom it seems had come through the squadron, so well known to the OC.
With a setup like that new recruits would come in and almost (I imagine) immediately be swept up into parade nights/activities by a group of staff who were just available to do things. Oh how I wish!
At its height there were four officers, five or six SNCOs (of varying ranks) and then around a dozen CIs, and very much on the radar at Cranwell as the then Comdt was a real grass roots investor. But this isn’t about size or advantage/disadvantage, its about making the most of opportunities, and what can happen when a team decides that being average isn’t enough. Its about making the point that Wing HQs and their incumbent Officers don’t just sit around a table bitching about what makes their life difficult, they should be investing in the front line where they came from and helping those still there by enriching them with their experience, counsel and support.
All Sqns have their peaks and troughs, and sometimes they’ll have a strong enthusiastic and vibrant team to run them - it doesn’t last forever, but whilst the sun shines then we should make hay and try and keep at least a fraction of what breeds success for the next generation.