Yeah, this thread is a bit of a mess. Which I guess works with ‘What is the RAFAC doing well?’: Making messes.
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I’m almost certain that was written by someone trying to be ‘whole force inclusive’ whilst not realising uniformed CFAVs aren’t currently scaled for PCS and have their own formation flash.
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Done well
Camps in particularly the corps ones left
RIAT - As a cadet offering a great camp
National Air & Space Camp
DofE and AT has continued well and is well recognised
Air Cadet Pilot Scheme although only 4 cadets in a tutor that is a fantastic achievement for solo flights.
When I take a step back and think why do I keep going week on week, month on month, year after year. Yes there are some negatives but the main positives are the people not just CFAV but seeing Cadets mature and develop skill sets and a sense of pride in themselves and their community they represent. Without the organisation they could be sat with their mates in the car park at the local supermarket after school “thinking they’re cool” throwing stones against a wall (actually seen that happen). We need to get our identity back and I personally am looking forward to the new commandant’s vision.
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I think the general concensus is “I’m not too sure”…
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CFAVs still managing to deliver lots of meaningful experiences for cadets, even in challenging times.
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this is kind of answered with this thread…
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I think that good things are happening, but in small clumps around the organisation.
With some more joined up thinking, mutual support and working towards a common goal, the organisation can do far better.
Currently, it feels like 900+ units delivering the same experience.
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100,000 rivets flying in close formation!
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I think the over standardisation of the PTS has killed the innovation aspect that is so critical to a youth organisation
There’s an almost expectation that every Sqn deliver the same rather than playing to its strength & weaknesses.
It’s lead to a spoon feed mentality expecting HQ to be the only source of ways of doing things. Things end up blocked due to linear processes
Perhaps we need to develop our own innovation cycle that builds in a standardisation phase with an innovation phase, which we allow the organisation to move between.
If you then pace the area so you haven’t got everything changing at the same time it might allow things to pepper pot forward.
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I’ll throw this one into the mix: improved use of digital.
Yes it is not perfect but as James Elliot said at the start of the VSDT it is about a minimum viable product. So we have
- Join
- online DBS checks (and use of the update service)
- Cadet Portal
- Volunteer Portal
- electronic submission of VA claims
We also have digital log books and downloadable, self study material for some topics. Yes not all, and there are the issues with distribution and cadet access, but it is way way better than it was just 5 years ago.
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It sounds like not requiring your staff to undertake additional training for every little thing you provide via PTS would be a step in the right direction.
If the cadets now attach their sense of advancement to getting the next PTS badge, but everything above blue requires specialist training quals and normally above sqn level activity, it becomes harder to deliver on cadet expectation.
Sqn life needs to be seen as the core of the experience to maintain engagement, especially if there isn’t the capacity to guarantee everyone a place on activities.
While digitisation (cadet portal) sounds like a positive thing, there’s no way to ensure opportunity is shared out between a sqn’s membership, because someone allocated remotely.
You could theoretically get 1 cadet hoovering up camps and weekends etc, because it doesn’t sound like there is anything in the system to highlight what a cadet has been selected for recently and nudge an activity organiser to consider sharing the love.
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Regarding * electronic submission of VA claims
Personally I don’t think this should be required, if the event is set-up in SMS and you are on that event approved by the “Director” when the event is submitted to closure SMS should create a workflow that sends all eligible CFAV a message asking to submit a claim or not and how many days for and in turn that should create a workflow to a payments queue for processing.
I would also like the new cadet process to be all online too, paper versions of 3822A & Hs are pretty outdated especially when it comes to storage. The prospective new cadets parent/guardian gets an e-mail link to fill in the details which is the same as the submission form that we do as admin on the back of a 3822A/H, the cadet goes to status of “pending cadet” where the OC/Adj could approve and give them info about joining. In theory if you work off intake nights, the admin would be done, you could even create additional workflows on uniform measurements prior to the cadet attending. They could be given the Sqns bank details for subs as part of the process. The cadet turns up on day 1 to be given full uniform, it would look slick and it would only need a few tweaks to the current SMS set-up. If anything due to handwriting on 3822A/H they aren’t always the easiest to read which could lead to mistakes with e-mail addresses and phone numbers etc and being data entry the adj or OC could be doing the same task 10+ times in an intake. That alone would take the data entry admin and 1st uniform order admin away which would save precious hours.
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Sometimes it feels like good stuff is happening DESPITE the HQ.
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This is the dream
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An option already exists for the reservists on RAPS.
They click a date and propose a planned duty that goes to the line manager.
After the event, they confirm whether it happened/tweak the dates and submit.
Payment occurs.
All done on a smart phone.
Steal that infra.
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What is RAFAC doing well?..binning activities…
What is RAFAC doing well?..Destroying itself…
An actual answer to the question.
What is RAFAC doing well?
We have recruited a new Commandant internally. Something that I don’t think has happened before. The vast majority of people are seeing this as a massive win. We will have someone who, from day one, know how this organisation works, and doesn’t work. It won’t take a year to get to grips with things.
That’s an actual good positive thing.
Another is the new ACPS. Okay, it’s only positive because of a previous massive negative. So arguably it’s neutral. But it is still a really good thing. From what @Cab has described I think the new ACPS will be better than the old.
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I think it’s better than neutral. I know I’d have rather learnt to fly with an RAF QFI than a flying club in Scotland.
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I think there is some questions still about whether the hours count towards a PPL and stuff that is out of my knowledge level, but yes, certainly agree with you!
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