Reconstitution

[CBH99]

Air cadets can earn their glider or small aircraft pilots wings. Most regions have a spring/fall glider familiarisation program. Depending on how close you are to an airfield, some cadet units have arranged famil flights as well.

The number of slots to earn your pilots license while in the Air Cadets is quite limited.

It's a great thing to strive for, and the Glider Pilot program inparticular is pretty cool.

But going into the Air Cadets thinking they'll help one to get their license is...overly optimistic. It CAN happen, but the number of Cadets who want it vs the number of Cadets who get it is a staggering ratio



My 2 cents anyway

 

[QV]

Just talking to my Staff Cadet last night who is also the Sea Cadet Coxswain. He is applying to the MP's (sigh, LARPing as a cop) Apparently his recruiter said that a lot of the recruits are ex-Cadets. Personally I think we need to reconnect that role of Cadets being a useful pipeline to serve your country. I know 6th Fd just had an exercise with a bunch of their Cadets attending. The sea phase for Sea Cadets whether with CCG or the RCN is highly sought after. I don't know what the RCAF does with Cadets, but hopefully something. If you want Canadians to support the CAF, you need to educate the kids. That is how the progressives stay alive, by taking over the education system and trying to indoctrinate our kids. We need to get in their unapologetically and show that this is a honourable career and trade. Yes people will say how terrible we are and we need to say "BS, we are working to better and to protect the country, while making exemplary citizens".

Not going to argue that, but you have to admit the recruiting videos are well done...

 

[Navy_Pete]

That's where vessels like the Kingstons come in handy, the next step up from the Orca's.

We run into issues with that in terms of capacity on the smaller ships with skeleton crews and passengers on non-passenger vessels. Apparently the fun police for thinking kids should have IMO compliant life jackets that fit kids, there are enough seats in the lifeboats for them, and that maybe they shouldn't be part of the fire fighting response plan as untrained, civilian children and young adults.

 

[markppcli]

I think there are a lot of people who forget that that is the real reason to have the cadets. If we aren't actively trying to recruit them, why are spending so much money on the program. It would be interesting to know what actual percentage of cadets move on to serve in the CAf (excluding the CIC).

I was a cadet, I don’t think they really pitched the CAF as a career much even back then.

 

[Navy_Pete]

Here is the problem with any modern machinery.
You need Mechanics, Diesel, turbine, small engine, gear etc
You need Techs, Radar, Sonar, electronics
you need electricians,
You need programmers
You need Welders
you need Millwrights.

Not all at the same time, but you need all of them to keep the ships systems operating.

Sure, but for some of the combat systems equipment, we can no longer do the maintenance ourselves, and troubleshooting is limited to 'the system says this card doesn't work'. On a lot of the mechanical systems, we hit the same wall, but generally a lot deeper into the equipment. With things like the AEGIS system there will be a lot of things that are US only, so we will only be allowed to call for help.

I suspect if we were honest we'd merge a lot of the WEng techs with the radar and sonar operators for CSC, give better training to weapon and ammo techs, and transfer some of the billets to the electricians and control techs that keep the plant running and can do a lot of maintenance at sea, as well as emergency repairs when things hit the fan.

Also means some fundamental changes to how we plan work periods, so that there is actually time to fix things and do maintenance with resources avaialble, as we will no longer have people to cover the gaps when things break down, so need a lot higher level of system status leaving the wall if you want to keep doing the job as things break through normal wear and tear plus enemy damage.

That won't happen

 

[Navy_Pete]

I was a cadet, I don’t think they really pitched the CAF as a career much even back then.

My daughter is in army cadets, and is thinking about joining the reserves when she finishes high school, and potentially the reg force later. On the flip side, growing up with me in the navy has convinced her she wants nothing to do with the RCN.

 

[dapaterson]

My daughter is in army cadets, and is thinking about joining the reserves when she finishes high school, and potentially the reg force later. On the flip side, growing up with me in the navy has convinced her she wants nothing to do with the RCN.

And that is the biggest problem facing the RCN. Nobody in the RCN seems willing to promote it as a career option.

 

[Lumber]

And that is the biggest problem facing the RCN. Nobody in the RCN seems willing to promote it as a career option.

I would. I loved my time in the navy. I would have stayed in but had to make sacrifices for family.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

We need purpose designed ships for both coasts and the lakes that are designed for accommodating students and training, but bigger than the Orcas, around the size of the Kingstons. Also get rid of the Oriole and replace it with a bigger steel brigantine that can also accommodate more trainees.

 

[Stoker]

I don't think we take Cadets to sea anymore. At least not without their parents, on something like a tiger cruise.

We take them on Oriole and with Oriole on the verge of being paid off that may be coming to an end.

 

[daftandbarmy]

And that is the biggest problem facing the RCN. Nobody in the RCN seems willing to promote it as a career option.

Based on watching my kids pass through the school system (including one now in university) and the complete absence of any recruiting presence in all that time, no one in the CAF seems interested in engaging with young people for the purposes of promoting military careers these days.

 

[Stoker]

Based on watching my kids pass through the school system (including one now in university) and the complete absence of any recruiting presence in all that time, no one in the CAF seems interested in engaging with young people for the purposes of promoting military careers these days.

From what I'm told many schools and universities do not want recruiters there.

 

[FJAG]

From what I'm told many schools and universities do not want recruiters there.

Then they should stop accepting Federal monies. Easy solution. Tie funding to recruiter access. They'll already be hurting from less foreign students. I've always said when a client says "its the principle and not the money" then at the end of the day, its always, always about "the money."

 

[Halifax Tar]

Army Cadets can earn their jump wings and go to the Airborne School in Trenton to get them where they get trained by the Senior NCOs there. Many of those hard charging kids ended up liking it and going on to careers in the Infantry.

Some of the most hard charging NCOs I met in the Infantry got their starts as Army Cadets.

I have heard some dits about why we don't take cadets to sea with us anymore.

Something about sea cadets, a trip to Oz; and coming back screwed, lewd and tattooed.

Apparently this didn't sit well with the parents.

 

[Remius]

From what I'm told many schools and universities do not want recruiters there.

Never had that experience. Universities are more than happy to have the CAF pay for a booth at their career fairs. But if the local cfrc doesn’t have its act together they are more reactive than proactive in their approach

It’s normally the student groups that are the issue.

 

[dangerboy]

Shame, I don't know if I would have ended up in the CAF if the reserve unit in Toronto (48th Highlanders) did not give info to my Highschool in Toronto. This led to me joining the Reserves and eventually transferring to the Regular Force.

 

[ueo]

I knew that, but there is pretty much zero connection in the glider program to the RCAF.

Luftwaffe pre WWII?

 

[Eaglelord17]

And that is the biggest problem facing the RCN. Nobody in the RCN seems willing to promote it as a career option.

Because it’s a terrible one.

Got rid of the fun stuff. Kept the worst. And it isn’t even a average 9/5 like the Army/Airforce is the majority of the time.

Who wants to be away from home and all your electronic gizmos to be crammed on a boat with 250 other people working 7 days a week for months on end, with no real perks at the end of it all? Oh and your pay really isn’t that good for all that work. Could go get a fly in job making triple that relatively easily and still be at home more.

Doesn’t sound like a good time to me, and based off the retention and recruiting doesn’t sound like a good time for others either.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Because it’s a terrible one.

Got rid of the fun stuff. Kept the worst. And it isn’t even a average 9/5 like the Army/Airforce is the majority of the time.

Who wants to be away from home and all your electronic gizmos to be crammed on a boat with 250 other people working 7 days a week for months on end, with no real perks at the end of it all? Oh and your pay really isn’t that good for all that work. Could go get a fly in job making triple that relatively easily and still be at home more.

Doesn’t sound like a good time to me, and based off the retention and recruiting doesn’t sound like a good time for others either.

I see.

How much sea time do you have?

 

[MilEME09]

And that is the biggest problem facing the RCN. Nobody in the RCN seems willing to promote it as a career option.

CDS and other senior officers keep harping that we, the troops are their best recruiters, but they ever stop and think that we are advising the opposite to people because of things like housing, cost of living etc?