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Retention.....

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True Blue Jack said:
Believe me, the airships are more aware of the issues affecting we mere mortals than we like to give them credit for and especially so of those issues peculiar to aircraft trades.

Recruitment is up and massively so. They are taking 150 people away from FL posts (where they are also desperately needed) in an attempt to boost recruitment still further. We can see from this thread some of the retention tools being employed in desperate attempts to get people to stay.

We may be chinstrapped now, but I think a lot will happen in the next 12 months that will lay the foundations for a better future. If we can only get the funding we need.
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It also begs the question how they've allowed it to get this bad. We've already lost massive numbers of highly experienced people (across all trades) and continue to do so. Getting new recruits is all well and good, but unfortunately, they won't be able to replace the decades of experience we have lost and continue to lose.

Also, unless they do something to keep in the juniors who have done between 4 and 7 years, there will be a huge gap in the manning in a few years.
 
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True Blue Jack said:
Believe me, the airships are more aware of the issues affecting we mere mortals than we like to give them credit for and especially so of those issues peculiar to aircraft trades.

Recruitment is up and massively so. They are taking 150 people away from FL posts (where they are also desperately needed) in an attempt to boost recruitment still further. We can see from this thread some of the retention tools being employed in desperate attempts to get people to stay.

We may be chinstrapped now, but I think a lot will happen in the next 12 months that will lay the foundations for a better future. If we can only get the funding we need.
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You really believe that drivel don't you? Or do you think you have to publicly toe the party line in your march towards your commission?:PDT_Xtremez_34:
 
Hu Jardon said:
You really believe that drivel don't you? Or do you think you have to publicly toe the party line in your march towards your commission?:PDT_Xtremez_34:
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Ahhh the insight of the squadron old man - you just can't beat it!

I want to know what kind of self respecting WO takes a Commission! :PDT_Xtremez_28::PDT_Xtremez_28::PDT_Xtremez_17:
 
Hu Jardon said:
You really believe that drivel don't you? Or do you think you have to publicly toe the party line in your march towards your commission?:PDT_Xtremez_34:
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I'm not biting. Just please accept that on this one occasion I know more than you. I cannot go further than that.
 
I believe TBJ may have been one of the first in line to be issued with the new defense spectacles. Rose tinted now......

12 months time....same stuff, different day, if not worse. If there is no funding now then what funding are we possibly going to get in light of the current economical position.
 
True Blue Jack said:
I'm not biting. Just please accept that on this one occasion I know more than you. I cannot go further than that.
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OK fair play I bet it will be a real big success just like the recently relabelled version of Pay as you dine....................................................
 
What a novel idea, Jam tommorow.

Been hearing that for the last 10 years.

I will believe it IF I see it, and not before. That is not cynicism, that is realism borne out from experience.
 
MontyPlumbs said:
Ahhh the insight of the squadron old man - you just can't beat it!

I want to know what kind of self respecting WO takes a Commission! :PDT_Xtremez_28::PDT_Xtremez_28::PDT_Xtremez_17:
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Perhaps it's the kind who knows that a few years of Commissioned Service will increase his pay-off and pension, thereby respecting himself enough to give himself a more comfortable life after leaving the Service?

Or maybe it's the kind who wants a new challenge? You don't get to the rank of WO without some considerable ambition.

Could even be someone with ten years plus to push but doesn't want to be seen as blocking promotion for others, thereby showing respect not only for himself but also for his fellow tradesmen?

But maybe I'm wrong and it's just the sound of clippy shoes that draws people in...
 
Maybe TBJ does know something...who knows apart from him and he can be as mysterious as he likes...we all like a bit of drama afterall...

I'll pretend I believe him them and look at any increased recruiting drive like this...The normal drive apparently wasn't working for reasons such as decreased popularity in the armed forces activities and the realisation via the media that it's dangerous and you could get killed...tied in with until recently a bear economy that attracted graduates with better wage offers away from the rock steady commissioning path and an economy with low unemployment offering work for all that wanted it thwarting our efforts to get the non-comm candidate through our door as well...

So somebody, perhaps under pressure or on a promise of that Knighthood that had so far eluded him or her was tasked to solve the dwindling queues at the AFCO's doors decided to chuck 100-200 perceived experienced blokes at it in the hope of changing the general publics opinions on forces careers...The same public who are still reading the papers on lack of funding/equipment/spares, aircraft falling out of the sky, little protection from bullets and so on...No matter as our footprint at recruiting and air shows, at the AFCO's and I hear even schools is increased by this mighty figure and we squeeze the population to see what comes out...

Imagine the population as a wet rag...At first you begin to wring and some of the water comes out easily and we like that...translate that into the guys and girls who always wanted to join anyway and willingly snapped up the Queens shilling...As that particular water flows away to training we have to wring harder and harder until eventually we get the dregs...These are the people we have dropped our levels of acceptance for to get people through the door...They are literally bums on seats...A higher percentage of them will never make it through to professional training...even more will fall then...Some will pass due to embattled instructors having to satisfy 'stats' or just sheer luck..Then we get them at the front line...Maybe 3 chiefs, 4 Sgt's and a handful of experienced NCO's finally handed in their ID cards that week from the camp where LAC Shouldneverhavehadchance is arriving to replace them in numbers only...Has the system worked or should we have realised that it will take some poor fecker 10 years of frustrating instruction to get him anywhere near as competant as one of the now civvy NCO's whilst we could just have asked, listened and acted on why the 'EXIT' door needs new hinges soon??

So far from my perspective all I'm losing is sorties by the hodload...It's only a matter of time before lack of experience and the pressure to deliver loses something else and this situation won't be cured by 150 more recruiters in the medium term...In fact I'm not sure if it can be cured at all at the moment...
 
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Weebl said:
I will believe it IF I see it, and not before. That is not cynicism, that is realism borne out from experience.
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Some people will always find cause to complain. I call them armourers.

I do not promise everything will be rosy in a year or even in 10 years. What I can promise is that the people in the corridors of power are fully aware of the issues on the ground and are exploring all the avenues open to them to improve matters.

Just remember that with the limited resources presently available they will have to rob Peter to pay Paul. But the fault for that does not lie with anyone in a blue suit.
 
You know what the answer to the airships prayers is: The credit crunch

The more the media go on about it, the greater the reluctance to leave. However some of the best people will go anyway, because there's always demand for talent.
 
True Blue Jack said:
Just remember that with the limited resources presently available they will have to rob Peter to pay Paul. But the fault for that does not lie with anyone in a blue suit.
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Just one question...How much has Peter that Paul can rob ?

Crack on......................:PDT_Xtremez_09:
 
True Blue Jack said:
Recruitment is up and massively so.
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Recruitment targets are up, certainly. But it is just not that simple because there is not enough capacity in the various training establishments to put these recruits through their relevant trade training. So yes, we may get some 4,500 through the doors, but it will take significantly longer than 12 months for us to see the benefit. How many of that 4,500 will get so jacked off that they leave because they are on the SWO's gang at Halton. And if they do enter trade training, how many will fail because entry standards have been less rigorous than normal?
 
Weebl said:
What a novel idea, Jam tommorow.

Been hearing that for the last 10 years.

I will believe it IF I see it, and not before. That is not cynicism, that is realism borne out from experience.
Click to expand...

Now we're getting there, see my signature.:PDT_Xtremez_28:
 
True Blue Jack said:
Some people will always find cause to complain. I call them armourers.

I do not promise everything will be rosy in a year or even in 10 years. What I can promise is that the people in the corridors of power are fully aware of the issues on the ground and are exploring all the avenues open to them to improve matters.

Just remember that with the limited resources presently available they will have to rob Peter to pay Paul. But the fault for that does not lie with anyone in a blue suit.
Click to expand...

That is the nub of the problem as we all know. However, as the Airships fiddle, Rome is burning, to coin a phrase. Action is needed rapidly, not awaiting some committee review held in 12 months time etc. The RAF is falling down around our ears and procrastination will not help. If the main point is budgetary (certainly), then the politicians will reap what they have sown!
 
Realist78 said:
That is the nub of the problem as we all know. However, as the Airships fiddle, Rome is burning, to coin a phrase. Action is needed rapidly, not awaiting some committee review held in 12 months time etc. The RAF is falling down around our ears and procrastination will not help. If the main point is budgetary (certainly), then the politicians will reap what they have sown!
Click to expand...

Is it not true that the RAF has been 'falling down' since 1918?

Has anyone in a blue suit at anytime in history ever remarked on how happy they are with every aspect of their Service life?

For generations, Servicemen have complained that they are underfunded, overworked, unloved by their political Lords and masters and generally abused. And every generation has claimed it's getting worse.

I suspect that if Alistair (Captain) Darling produced a £150,000 Christmas bonus for every man, woman and steward in the RAF then 80% would come onto e-Goat and moan that they needed a bigger leave entitlement to spend it all.
 
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