This is the way that the Cadet Training System is going. Many of the Gold courses for cadets are going to be train the trainer courses. It will be the cadets job to train at blue and bronze level on a unit. I fail to see why we will then need a CFAV to sit in the corner and closely supervise. On the unit, the staff will be very close by in the next room of a few metres away in the offfice.
Indeed! Is there now an expectation of 2/3 staff in a single classroom to deliver training?
Is the Cadet NCO role (and subsequently development opportunities as young leaders) being made redundant?
This SCD introduces a potential new normal - as the document doesnāt neccessarily introduce as much clarity as it sets outā¦ or, if it does, itās a very scary and resource intensive prospect to move forward!
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The SDC has been written by people who think they know what the CFAV dose and have not experienced it them selves week in week out.
Talking to a CCF(RAF) CFAV a few weeks ago. The ratio for classroom training in the school they work in is 1:20. They said that they do not have enough staff/ too many cadets to work to 1:10.
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Is there going to be a ratio where once weāve lost X number of cadets, we no longer need to employ the people who wrote this, and the people who signed it off?
I like that ratio, that sounds like a good ratio to haveā¦
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Which is the issue. The 1:10 1:8 comes from the nspcc as advisory but that is for off unit activity.
The nspcc specifically states that schools set their own ratios.
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Just a thought - does this kill off RIAT or at least the air cadet support to it?
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I think this kills off most camps, once you factor in drivers hours and the push to take the minimum staff neccesary to deliver the activity even annual camps are going to be unworkable.
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This will kill off pretty much everything - my Sqn will be able to run about 1 in 4 parade nights, and then with one single classroom/lesson.
Thereās already a chat in our staff WhatsApp about running two parade nights a week, but each cadet can only come to one. Thatās a wtf are we going to do? panic reaction, but I wouldnāt be surprised if thatās what happens.
Weād have staff availability to do one mid-week AEF trip per year - letās hope that our slot comes up in that week. I mean, the odds canāt the that bad, can theyā¦? (Oh, and phone signal is dreadful for 30+ miles in any direction around here, so thatās out..)
Excellent stuff.
Not unworkable, just very expensive. I think that any camp going forward no matter what the size, you are going to be looking at 15 staff as a bare minimum. Even for a small camp of 30 Just for driving absolute minimum is 4, 3 day staff, 3 evening/night staff, Camp com, Would you want the staff on duty for the 7 days? Another three for the rota and emergency contingency EG to hospital. 3 min to run a range RCO, Ammo, FA, probably more, all not directly supervising cadets so not in ratio. Same for FC and many other activities. 15 is needed just for supervision. to do any activities you are going to need another 5 to 10 staff. Are HQAC going to fund a camp of 30 cadets that will need 20 to 25 staff to run a safe and engaging programme?
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These kind of rules are merely guidelines for national events donāt forget. Just rules for those at the coal face.
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One does wonder if thereās a look, do what you like on the Sqn, this is just making sure I donāt go to prison element to thisā¦
We have thisā¦.semi-rural with plenty of Cadets driving 30+ mins to get to us
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Which is the same thing in the current climate.
It does very much feel like backside covering without any evidence of Threat, Risk or Harm. Sounds like the idea of our last 2* and indeed 1*
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Yeah, I did get car parking parallel vibes.
*As my children would sayā¦.
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as i understand it - the problem was the document/policy/guidance never existed, or if it did in multiple difference sources spread out between ACPS, ACTOs and no doubt the odd half dozen IBNs for good measure.
the āproblemā is a āsingle source documentā
the issue/problem the document has caused is it does not reflect other policy/reality of what happens today, but has introduced new measures, previously unknown all of which have a catastrophic impact to how Squadrons operate twice weekly, events take place on weekends, Wing courses are managed, and Wing/Region/National camps now need to be run going forward (release just ahead of Camp season)
3 years ago i took on a āduty holderā role at work, and part of that was to review all the relevant policy and instructions we have. I spotted plenty of errors in what was written versus what was completed in reality.
so i changed the status quo
Not by changing what we did, but what the documents said we did - anything āaspirationalā was removed. while in an āideal worldā we would complete X, Y and Z, in my 20 years I had never seen X, Y or Z completed - reviewing the situation, despite X, Y and Z not being done no one had died, got injured or even had a near miss - pragmatic approach - rewrite the documents to reflect reality.
unfortunately that is NOT what has happened here - the SDC is not a written document to act as a single source for policy on A, B and C, but is a new policy document which has brought in need requirements which not only do not reflect reality, but is over and above what has ever been done, has ever been required and is beyond aspirational but double safety catching everything
exactly - and an example of how this SDC does not reflect reality and have it written down what we do, but introduces new (unworkable) expectations
it is not written evidence of what we have done without issue, it does not reflect reality today but introduces a new reality
yes and no
Flights are typically 10-12 Cadets with 2 CFAVs so within ratios. and as RIAT is 16+ no need to consider below 1:10
there are then additional āspecific roleā CFAVs who are on site, so from a ratio point of view there will always been a 1:10 ratio when considering the whole site - however the ādirect supervisionā does ruin the āfree timeā experience.
a flight on task will either be
A) on task all day, but only requires half a flight, and so Flight Commanders can manage breaks either half day on/half day off, or 1-2 hour on/off shift
B) on talk for half a day, with the other half āfree timeā
it would be typical when on ābreakā to have groups āno less than 3ā and let the Cadets goā¦now the Cadets will need to be escorted everywhere
Shift workers etc is highly relatable.
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My cadets travel about 30mins to get to us after we moved from our traditional home to a barracks.
Weāre lucky to have a place, let alone these excellent amenities, but still ā there was never any sympathy for the drive.
On the occasions weāve had to close because suddenly a member of staff has become ill and weāve previously not felt secure enough continuing, weāre basically still stuck there all night waiting for parents to collect.
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There are so many things we did as cadets where we didnāt have staff with us every second of the day.
Camp FamExs, the day in the local town wandering around, museum visits, field craft night exercises.
Direct and continuous supervision is a laughable concept for an organisation wishing to create independent young people.
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This is the problem with some of the other issues we have in the organisation. People complain āyou canāt pick and choose which policy you followā, but then bilgewater like this gets released forcing us to ignore it just to continue operating. Itās impossible, unworkable, unenforceable and leaves no option for us but to ignore it. Bad policy is the biggest risk here, not CFAVs. People with no real world experience making up rules by putting their finger in the air and guessing what might sound good to their boss. It is lunacy, and I had thought that with a commandant with some experience of us might stop the rot that Babs, Dawn, Tony all started. The calibre of officer from the RAF has dwindled to the extent that this is considered workable. It is a telling indictment of the credibility and operation of the RAF.
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