If you could fix 1 area or fault or annoyance etc in the Corps what would it be.
Keeping it high level and not focusing on the original cause of the issue.
Mine would be:
High Level
Staff recruitment.
Break down
Shorten the paperwork process. Maybe consolidated paperwork packs?
Online forms? Straight to WHQs?
Shorten the 6 month probation.
Process applications and paperwork at Corps A LOT faster.
Run Wing centralised 1 day familiarisation courses. Not just AVIP but useful stuff like, this is how bader works, this is a pipe, etc so that sqn time is not constantly drained on teaching people how to use sharepoint. Or sms.
Itâs also interestingly my answer to the question of âif you could fix one area of the reserves, what would it beâ so itâs not just the cadet forces that are the issue.
But ultimately many of the problems that we face could indeed be mitigated by having more staff.
Too much paperwork? At least this would spread it around a bit
Need qualified staff for everything? Thereâs more chance of having a qual (or someone prepared to go out and get the qual)
Not enough officers/SNCOs or not sufficiently-able officers/SNCOs? A larger staff pool means more applicants to chose from.
And the first step to having more is to ensure that the ones who are interested arenât put off by an overly-difficult and long-winded joining process.
Get rid of WHQ as a place and relocate all staff to RHQ
Each Wing to have 1 part time member of staff who is contracted to work Monday to Thursday 1800-2200.
Main role of this member of staff is BPSS interviews and they are expected to visit units to conduct them during parade hours, they are also to deliver AVIP and run workshops once per fortnight to assist new staff with paperwork and admin.
All substantive responsibilities and the other 2 staff posts go to RHQ
All activity sign offs go to Volunteers (SME or Sector Commander)
All mail goes direct from Region to Squadron and Vice Versa
Wings continue to exist as they do now for the delivery of the Cadet experience.
By doing this you streamline all of the admin through a bigger better staffed HQ where the line manager for all of the staff is employed fulltime and works on site.
You also effectively have a staff recruitment SPOC who is a designated employee who comes to the volunteers.
16 hours a week is about normal for a part time contract (also the extra 4 hours could be used for travelling time in larger wings), not that many units parade on Fridays and who wants to work every Friday night? (Seems that even in hypothetical land Iâm a considerate boss!).
Currently being trialled by LASER I think where they are using the âStation HQâ approach to re-task the wing admin teams. Technically hard to do due to the civil servant contracts. I also know of Wings who work the evening when the majority of their units are in, itâs all about management.
Personally I would do away with the paperwork processes we have and make them all electronic and more streamlined. Would save hours upon hours of time for everyone in the chain.
Make the cadet forces a purple organisation which a single administration and management chain plus disband the CCF and place it under a single cadet force. Think of the cost savings.
More specifically RAFAC HQ, and the MoDâs, appetite for risk.
That is what drives the requirement for so much extra paperwork which puts such a burden on volunteers.
The CoC should be trusting that CFAVâs are following policy and the law and just let us get on with it.
Havenât written a risk assessment for getting onto a minibus, donât bother with it, just as long as you can show you thought about the risks.
Havenât written a risk assessment for the hike youâre taking the cadets on? donât bother, meet the required ratioâs and have thought about the risks.
It should be all about trusting the CFAVâs to deliver the activities, with awareness from immediate CoC.
Dont want to sound miserable. But i wanted a discussion on itemised things to change.
NOT a moan about how cruddy BPSS is!
I have even opened a new thread about BPSS for us to moan in.
I feel itâs gone too far for changing one single thing to fix things. It might time to, paraphrasing Edwyn Collins, ârip it up and start againâ.
Failing going âpurpleâ, for me get rid of Regions as they are an administrative anachronism in the electronic age.
I would have North and South areas with the âcommanderâ having sourcing additional funding, resources and activities high in their JD.
Employ people at HQAC to look after specific areas, who have a proven track record in that area, as opposed to the current set up where we seem to have people come in and have important areas as a secondary remit.
These people need not come from a military background as I feel this is too institutionalised and leads to an inward looking, blinkered and cosseted mind set.
I would keep the notion of regions for competitions only
Employ more people at Wing including one, as suggested, to work evenings. Contracted from 1600 to 2200 5 days a week means they are entitled to tax/benefit claims, denied many part time workers, which would increase its appeal and starting at 1600, there can be a handover of things going on that day. I believe that the MO in LASER is because they couldnât employ and or retain WHQ people so the new RC came up with the idea, which IMO loses that âpersonalâ touch for want of a phrase, that you get from having your own Wing HQ staff.
I agree with the idea of losing the risk averse attitude, however this plague has been with us since the mid-90s spreading like a choking algal bloom. We saw it with our kids at school where activities and trips faded away as they suddenly became too dangerous/risky. Ironically we did many of these things as a family and for birthday treats. During this time it leached into the ATC.
I think we should be resigned to and accept that reducing the admin burden for volunteers wonât happen, as we are in an organisation where far too many people are employed in admin roles, so we are stuck with it. Without the admin we are compelled to do, what would those in the various HQs do? It seems many have been hoodwinked by the idea of automatic VA payments, but I get a sense that admin is like Hydra, lose one thing and two more appear.
And aeroclubs for fixed wing flying. If these organisations train people to fly safely why not use them. The pilots I know all started at their local flying clubs and they are now flying instructors CAA examiners taildragger and aerobatic instructors and the vast majority are commercial ATPL pilots with air lines and fixed wing air ambulance companies. Why not use what is available.
The RAFâs present training pipeline is badly broken at the moment.
