• Welcome to the E-Goat :: The Totally Unofficial RAF Rumour Network.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Latest FMDL Figures

4

4everAD

Sergeant
872
60
28
latest figures for the trade don't look good, we are now carrying 290 odd gaps through the ranks. We've tried offering Golden Hellos for Phase 2 trainees what else can manning do to alleviate the burden? It is a vicious circle, as gaps get bigger workloads go up and promotion slows making more people PVR and gaps get bigger........
 
Last edited:
W

Witty_Banter

Flight Sergeant
1,558
22
38
Not sure if this is specific to TG4 - the military as a whole are generally losing morale on a massive scale, which isn't helping anyone, and this is being swiftly ignored by those in power [personally I think because PVRs save them having to make some cuts come SDSR, which is now imminent]. The recent attitude survey clearly showed that a large portion of the RAF were not happy, and would leave as soon as practicable, but this was brushed off by the higher echelons as 'expected figures based on natural turnover, etc'.

I wouldn't get your hopes up for any kind of improvement until long after the SDSR.
 
E

E E E E E E E E AR

Corporal
377
0
0
Witty_Banter said:
The recent attitude survey clearly showed that a large portion of the RAF were not happy, and would leave as soon as practicable, but this was brushed off by the higher echelons as 'expected figures based on natural turnover, etc'.
Click to expand...


The Continuous Attitude Survey Report is a beautiful example of statistical manipulation. "47% of people are satisfied with service life" which means that 53% aren't, or are undecided ... let's ignore that. Or that only 16% of the RAF thought Morale was high. It's some lovely cherry-picking to get the answers they want to read.
 
W

wolfy

Warrant Officer
2,270
0
0
Some of those spaces may well disappear with Project Marshall now in action.
 
E

El_Boomo

LAC
54
0
0
wolfy said:
Some of those spaces may well disappear with Project Marshall now in action.
Click to expand...
That doesn't look to happen very quickly though. There's still no forecast for Aquilla personnel taking over maintenance roles, only a predicted equipment role out. Even then, it's been discovered that we'll need to keep some on in 'Airfield Support Teams' (or **** jobs flights) to do sire safeguarding and the sorts of jobs that GRMS do and no one else wants.
 
R

Radartech

LAC
26
0
1
4everAD said:
latest figures for the trade don't look good, we are now carrying 290 odd gaps through the ranks. We've tried offering Golden Hellos for Phase 2 trainees what else can manning do to alleviate the burden?
Click to expand...

Well I would suggest (yet another, I know) name change for the trade may help.

The acronym ICT suggests data input and spread sheets to the current generation of school leavers. We may as well say "Hey kids, how do you fancy joining the RAF in a trade called Maths?"

Here's a thought, how about calling it something that really reflects what we do, for example...

Electronics Technicians, or even Engineering Technicians (Electronics) :pDT_Xtremez_15:

If those wizards at Manning do take me up on the idea, I could probably add a couple of suggestions as to how they could abbreviate them as well :pDT_Xtremez_30:
 
U

unruly1986

Sergeant
727
33
28
4everAD said:
latest figures for the trade don't look good, we are now carrying 290 odd gaps through the ranks. We've tried offering Golden Hellos for Phase 2 trainees what else can manning do to alleviate the burden? It is a vicious circle, as gaps get bigger workloads go up and promotion slows making more people PVR and gaps get bigger........
Click to expand...

Where are people leaving from, why are people leaving and at what stage in their career are they leaving? The answer to one of those questions lies 'oop north'...

Perhaps consider:

Trade name change
Get more of the trade through 90SU - dispel some myths and change the mentality of the old 'n bold
Advertise the trade to the SACs - by that I mean let them know there's a lot more to it than North Yorkshire
 
K

kilted_sparky

SAC
113
0
0
The Golden Hello is a very good incentive (would be nice if it was tax free but you can't have everything), caught my eye. However I agree unless you know ICT means more than databases and spread sheets (which most kids won't) then the name could be better. I for one am not a kid and already work in IT so know there is more to it than that.

Fingers crossed I get through the application.

It's not great to hear there are issues with the trade but hopefully it will change soon. Everywhere I turn at the moment the RAF recruitment advert is on tv, websites and radio so they are definitely trying.
 
StickyFingers

StickyFingers

Sergeant
827
111
43
Looking at the numbers is a solid indication of just how much a joke Tg4 is.

From its inception, to its rollout, throughout its life until now the mismanagement of the trade has been nothing short of a farce

For a group of 600 SACs only being able to promote 40 is a joke

For a group of 700 Cpls only being able to promote 25 is a joke

How can a 7 year SAC/Cpl grow continuously as and come up with new objectives year after year? At some point everyone plateaus and then what? His SJAR suffers and he goes to the bottom of the pile. Thank you, try again next year to push into that 5%

Signing on med downgraded Sgts for an extra 2 years after their LOS 30 is a joke

Running light across the entire rank spectrum is staggering looking the current economic climate where youngsters can't get employment outside after one of the longest periods of austerity on record not to mention it actually costs thousands of pounds to attend university now.

To have a technical trade that is offering desirable and modern qualifications along with the fact they will actually PAY folk to get them being unable to recruit is mind blowing.

But it’s ok, they are going to plug the holes by getting an extra 2 more recruits on each course at Cosford.

How did this happen?
 
W

Witty_Banter

Flight Sergeant
1,558
22
38
Like I've said before mate, it's not just TG4 but pretty much the RAF as a whole - we are haemmoraeging manpower from all sides like a dam made of swiss cheese.

I was in attendance at a conference in the Capital last week, and can confirm that the top brass are aware of the problem but seem clueless that it's actually a problem. Point of note was our highest ranking member telling us all how 'he's not going to retire a rich man' and that financial incentives would not solve the recruitment / retention problems, because people don't join the RAF to become rich. This from a man who gets paid, and will retire on, an annual wage equal to that of about 15 SACs. If I hadn't been sat so far away, I'd have launched my notebook at him.

As for the Promotions Lottery, everyone in our system knows that it's a broken system, but again nobody wants to fix it.
 
M

matthewt23

LAC
34
1
8
kilted_sparky said:
The Golden Hello is a very good incentive (would be nice if it was tax free but you can't have everything), caught my eye. However I agree unless you know ICT means more than databases and spread sheets (which most kids won't) then the name could be better. I for one am not a kid and already work in IT so know there is more to it than that.

Fingers crossed I get through the application.

It's not great to hear there are issues with the trade but hopefully it will change soon. Everywhere I turn at the moment the RAF recruitment advert is on tv, websites and radio so they are definitely trying.
Click to expand...

They have reduced commitment bonuses by £2k for all of the new applicants to fund the handshake. It's not bad because it's free money but unfortunately you're not getting any more money than the people currently in the trade. The bonus used to be £15k so we have really missed out there lol

Communications Technician or CIS Tech would be a better suited title for the trade.
 
T

techie_tubby

Warrant Officer
2,050
1
0
Yea a wee bit but still a substantial pay this month. I managed to time it with a JPA expense claim so i didn't loose too much on tax.
 
StickyFingers

StickyFingers

Sergeant
827
111
43
Back to the OPs question, some of you may/may not be aware that 1AMW (green side of the movements trade) personnel are paid £150/month extra until the 4 year point, when it goes up to £250/month. Would something like this help stem the PVRs coming from 90SU?


Wait....

What?

You have new guys and girls being paid up to £250 extra a month just for doing their job becuse they are on 90 even though they have to complete a return of service anyway?

And the non green side of the movement trade (I guess who are are Brize) don't?

How come other trades on deployable units 90SU, TSW, 2MT, JAPPLE, 1ACC and the like arn't getting this?

I'm sure loads of other trades are having retention problems.


 
T

techie_tubby

Warrant Officer
2,050
1
0
Even if that is true, where are you going to find the money to pay potentially 1000 personnel an extra £150 a month? That's an extra £1.8m a year the unit will need to find.
 
F

FOGHORN LEGHORN

Sergeant
905
0
0
1 AMW get crew pay which is like flying pay. ATM the Flt Cdrs don't get it but that's due to change. I certainly hope it does before I go there in January 😊


This message was sent using my thumb.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
7,553members
43,624threads
595,658posts
91online users
Top