In my new role it is interesting to see how training in the RAF is carried out and why it’s done the way it is. My entire squadron is subject to Ofsted so instead of a military disciplined environment we have to abide by civilian standards of qualification requirements. So instead of training for what we need we are training them to complete NVQ qualifications which are surprisingly low in quality. Compared to my training twenty years ago where we were taught to military requirements such as physically working and experiencing on real live aircraft we are relegated to using off aircraft equipment and risk adverse reactions prevent us from carrying out proper line training (refuelling, servicing, marshalling).
Also the problem is retention after their training is complete. Most don’t want careers in the military and intend to only work for about 3 years before leaving the services. Most I’ve noticed are in their early to mid 20’s compared to my era where most of us were 17/18/19 years old.
