Training Ground Branch 2017 Plans

Did you go to the training officers conference?

Did your Wg Cdr attend the Annual Conference … it was briefed there to all the Wg Cdr’s, they were asked their opinions and they all thought it was a good idea, our Wg Cdr briefed his Wg Staff and the Wg Staff briefed their sqns … I take it from the comments that this maybe has not happened in all wings ? Now I am not saying that we know the details but at least seeing the badge poster I knew about it so when the cadets saw it I just said that it was new, passed on what I have been told and now they are quite excited about the changes. I am waiting for the “briefing” book / document so move forward.
I think it sounds like the “It’s in the CO’s briefcase” that was, is now an electronic version of the old briefcase ie The CO has it in his E Mail but hasn’t passed it on , or Wg Staff or Wg Cdr or WexO … Does that sound fair?

Really, you haven’t got a deputy … thats barking !
Just by looking at the slides you probably didn’t get the background information presented by the speaker. Things are changing, the wg trg officer needs to be on top of the changes or at least be able to brief (briefly) to those who ask questions. That will be difficult if you are the single point, you cant be everywhere all of the time and know everything that is coming … Good luck :slight_smile:

Did you not speak to a counterpart in a neighbouring wing? As a WSO I would have thought you have the drive to seek information as well as receive it, especially when you miss out on something as important as a national conference.

1 Like

No-one should have to seek information elsewhere, regardless if they are “single point of contact” or not. It MUST be sent out in a way that all can access it, rather than get second/third-hand feedback from someone who may have attended a secret squirrel conference.

1 Like

Plus if you don’t know know what was said in the first place, what can you chase. We are debriefed after the conference, and have to accept what is said is everything and gospel, not just what you need to be told.

At the end of the day, there is an official channel of communication, and it should be used. Interesting the ones on here ‘complaining’ all have a military background, doesn’t that say something.

Just imagine WW2 or GW1/2 being fought this way, service personnel finding out things via social media; what ever next.

1 Like

This is shocking, (although not entirely surprising) and explains a lot about the way the organisation has developed and why shouldn’t we be surprised that some have responded like it’s your fault and not the fault of HQAC and those that operate on its behalf. As a Wing TO you shouldn’t have to rely on secondary or tertiary lines of communication you should be in the primary list. As for it being discussed and accepted at Convention, Wing Cdrs have been on average away from squadrons for 10 years (our current Wg Cdr 16 years since last on a sqn) and in no position to decide what is good or bad, without it being fully discussed by Wing TO, Sqn TO and Sqn Cdrs. I cannot understand how HQAC can be defended so vehemently in their actions. You get an impression this was done like this to cause maximum disruption and at the sqn at least has left cadets with a less than positive impression of the Corps.

The single biggest problem we have is no one at HQAC, RHQ and WHQ can decide on one method of information dissemination. Is it emailing of documents, emailing of links to sharepoint (OK if everyone can access it everywhere), long emails or social media? If you are going to use social media to inform of changes etc it must only be a short note for something that has been disseminated in full via email not the whole thing. Also which social media product do you use; fb, twitter, Instagram, snapchat, WhatsApp the last 3 seem to be the ones that the kids at school use and then if you are going to use them who is going to manage the content.

When you consider that most people have at least 2 email addresses (work and personal) they use, email has to be vehicle for information being passed. Where I worked previously and work currently, email is the main method for information dissemination to staff and parents, but the school has a fb and twitter and several departments have fb and twitter to ‘advertise’ things in these depts., but they still send letters and so on home as does the school. Those parents that supply an email get an email, letters are also printed and given to each pupil and all letters are on the school website, because it is important to ensure the information gets home. It’s a pity that Corps doesn’t have the same sense of propriety with respect to its main audience for information, us the volunteer staff. Interestingly the school out of a potential 3000 ‘customers’ for its social media, excluding staff, only 300 look at the fb and 100 twitter. I can’t imagine the percentages are much different in terms of direct ‘customers’ ie staff, cadets and parents, within the Corps.

in the last year I have been complaining to wing about the use of Facebook for releasing of information. I have no issue in Facebook being used to highlight and advertise courses, competitions or anything we do, we do the same at sqn level but where i take issue is…
Are you interested in XYZ if so go and speak to your sqn staff and they will sort it out for you.

We get a queue of cadets at the office door asking to go on XYZ but we dont know anything about it, its not on sharepoint, WRO’s I even called wing and they didn’t know about one of the events, then wait a few weeks and we get it in a mail drop.

By all means advertise events and what we do but ensure the information is issued beforehand!

As for the new training above again NOTHING issued to us yet. the simplest solution since we all have ACO email addresses would of been, make a briefing note upload to Bader issue to the regional and Wing TO’s for their notification saying that this will be issued to all on a set date and a later issue on the set date to all squadrons simple, job done, nobody missed out and would take how long??

5 Likes

This is a bit like a restaurant chain releasing a new menu on Facebook to its fans. All well and good, providing you’ve also told the chefs and waiters before so they know what they’re cooking and serving. Otherwise when a punter comes and asks for it you’re going to look a bit stupid!

8 Likes

You can’t go around pointing out glaringly obvious flaws in the lines of communication - you’ll upset the ‘Wall-o-text’ Fan boy.

1 Like

That would be the base standard way to operate but sadly it’s not. :disappointed:

1 Like

For goodness sake, there can be no excuse for different people / departments/ Regions / Wgs, whatever, not singing from the same hymn sheet! However, the example has to come from the top, namely HQACO.

If this was a functioning corporate enterprise, it probably soon wouldn’t be with such a mish-mash of information promulgation routes & inconsistent application of “product data release.”

Standardise the way that things are disseminated - first to staff (all relevant details, multi-access routing, Sharepoint, etc), & after a suitable pause (xx working days), by all means add the bullet points to TwitBook or whatever. It should never be the other way around. Major PR (piccies of 75th, etc) is completely different; social meeja is excellent for such items.

5 Likes