So, you think our PD program is weak? What needs to be added?

[wuzafuzz]

Some great ideas have been stated so far, especially in JohnKachenmeister's post.  One additional item is to somehow improve the quality of our internal instructors.

I greatly prefer a classroom environment for meaningful learning, provided we have competent instructors. However, I have been extremely frustrated with the quality of classroom instruction in CAP.  It completely pisses me off when I reserve a weekend for a class, or take vacation time for said class, only to listen to instructors state they have never seen the curriculum before.  Then they proceed to read from the Power Point as if a room full of adults couldn't do that for themselves.  Even worse are those who ignore the curriculum and launch into a dissertation of their own creation.  People like this are wasting our time and denying us the benefit of the learning that should have happened. 

No matter how improved our curriculum may be, it is wasted on instructors who donated their brain to science before showing up to teach.

Online learning has its place.  I wholeheartedly support our use of online courses for minor and repetitive topics.  In spite of my CAP classroom experiences I still believe that a quality classroom environment remains best for courses like Level 1, SLS, and CLC.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I couldn't agree more, if we want a better PD program we must have more knowledgeable instructors. The only thing is how do we ensure that we have them? I honestly don't know how we could go about that part.

If you think D&C and C&C are things that don't matter where you are, you are just showing one of the weaknesses that we have in CAP. Everyone has value in CAP, but when you say that you don't want or need to learn an aspect of CAP because it just doesn't apply to you, that makes me ask how big is your value, both your value in CAP and CAP's value to you?

If we want to be of more value to our communities and to the USAF then we need to have more standardized training. In courses such as OBC we have a standard line of what needs to be known by everyone to pass the course, a common set of knowledge to pass. However we do not have that sort of standard for our specialty tracks. We do have great starting points with the study guides, but that is where it stops, you apply the study guide to how you learn in your unit. That makes the knowledge up to you and to your mentor, and we all know that how things are done vary from unit to unit and wing to wing. We could be seen as a much larger asset if those who look at our training curriculums could just take one look and see into how the entire asset, not just one unit, is trained and can be confident in our standards.

[JohnKachenmeister]

For those of you who think D&C and Customs and Courtesies should not be included...

How do you train cadets?

If you are not involved in cadet programs, OK, but someday you might be.  It is 1/3 of our mission.

What do you do when a cadet or an airman salutes you?  If you return a salute like Barack Obama, you will look like a nerd and they will (behind your back) laugh at you.  By extension, they are laughing at CAP.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

For those of you who think D&C and Customs and Courtesies should not be included...

How do you train cadets?

If you are not involved in cadet programs, OK, but someday you might be.  It is 1/3 of our mission.

What do you do when a cadet or an airman salutes you?  If you return a salute like Barack Obama, you will look like a nerd and they will (behind your back) laugh at you.  By extension, they are laughing at CAP.

I don't really think it matters if you work in CP, it is still needed as D&C and C&C are major aspects of any military group or organization. If your unit is invited or signs up to participate in your Independence Day parade, do only your cadets march? What about the overall pride and involvement in your unit? Every parade or public function that involves marching should include the Senior Members as well.

[Major Carrales]

Focusing on Drill and Ceremonies for seniors instead of duty position subject area issues,  aircraft maintenance issues, safety culture, cadet retention, unit support and connecting the "top" of the organization to the squadron level where the rubber meets the road may well be an example of putting the "cart before the horse."

If a true poll of Senior members was taken today, how many would dismiss D&C as irrelevant or, even worse, "poser/pretender-ism."

There will always be two kinds of Senior members, those like me that value the traditions of CAP (including customs and courtesies, drill and ceremony and the like) and those that joined to fly missions as CAP aircrew that see the "service" as more important than the "trappings."

We once tried Senior D&C at one of our composite meetings to better instruct the cadets, who at the time were building in number.  After the meeting there were some seniors that came up to me and told me that if that was going to be an element of the regular meeting that they would leave, request a transfer to another unit (120 miles away) and that they "are happy to fly cadets, stand for the pledge and report if ordered," but they didn't sign up to "march in squares and in circles."  3 of them were prior service people who found the practice to be "pretentious" and "unnecessary."

Now, those of you with such "fantasy squadrons" of senior members marching in parades, how will you realistically deal with that?  That is a real issue to deal with.

Many of you know my dedication and passion for CAP, so I don't being this up to make excuses or because I don't believe in what has been said...but, I can't sacrifice those that would leave...that awaken at all hours of the night to fly and DF or who will take time off of work for a SARex or REDCAP or that attend meeting regularly for training in advance ES because some person in a distant Wing wants them to march in formations.

[Chappie]

<snip>
Perhaps you exclude some (Chaplains, medical and legal come to mind) but then they wear distinctive badges.

We need leaders and followers. You can not force leadership

As of the NB action in August of 2008, chaplains now must complete the same requirements for all awards in the Senior Member Professional Development Program (with the exception of RSC....the Chaplain Corps has their own Chaplain Corps Region Staff College -- the requirement is to complete 2 within a 5 year time-frame).  Chaplains no longer participate in the Special Recognition Program in the CAPR 50-17.  The 221 series has been been revised and should be available shortly. 


On another note...chaplains are no longer promoted by simply breathing (completing TIG),  They follow the promotion guidelines following the initial grade appointment.  You will be seeing fewer and fewer Chaplains who are Lt Cols and haven't atttained anything past Level 1.  Those days are behind us.

[Eclipse]

Focusing on Drill and Ceremonies for seniors instead of duty position subject area issues,  aircraft maintenance issues, safety culture, cadet retention, unit support and connecting the "top" of the organization to the squadron level where the rubber meets the road may well be an example of putting the "cart before the horse."

Who said "focus"?  Perhaps that is part of the problem these days - people have such a low attention span that the minute you suggest
anything, that "thing" becomes the focus.  D&C and C&C shouldn't be the "focus" of CAP anymore than a/c maintenance, safety, or anything else.  It is part of the whole.

If a true poll of Senior members was taken today, how many would dismiss D&C as irrelevant or, even worse, "poser/pretender-ism."

First, I disagree that this would be the outcome, because most likely the only members who would spend the time on the poll would be those engaged enough to understand, but that it irrelevant - there are members today who don't even think weekly meetings are important. 

There will always be two kinds of Senior members, those like me that value the traditions of CAP (including customs and courtesies, drill and ceremony and the like) and those that joined to fly missions as CAP aircrew that see the "service" as more important than the "trappings."

Which is the core of the issue, and which splits our membership and compromises our effectiveness.

We once tried Senior D&C at one of our composite meetings to better instruct the cadets, who at the time were building in number.  After the meeting there were some seniors that came up to me and told me that if that was going to be an element of the regular meeting that they would leave, request a transfer to another unit (120 miles away) and that they "are happy to fly cadets, stand for the pledge and report if ordered," but they didn't sign up to "march in squares and in circles."  3 of them were prior service people who found the practice to be "pretentious" and "unnecessary."

"Thank you for your time.  Perhaps CAP is not for you."

Now, those of you with such "fantasy squadrons" of senior members marching in parades, how will you realistically deal with that?  That is a real issue to deal with.

"Fantasy Squadrons"? Really?  Don't confuse your local challenges with national norm.  We have seniors who march in parades all over my wing.

Many of you know my dedication and passion for CAP, so I don't being this up to make excuses or because I don't believe in what has been said...but, I can't sacrifice those that would leave...that awaken at all hours of the night to fly and DF or who will take time off of work for a SARex or REDCAP or that attend meeting regularly for training in advance ES because some person in a distant Wing wants them to march in formations.

Repeating.  CAP is not a cafeteria.  Do or do not, but don't make excuses about what you don't like to do.  We are in the position we are in because we started to allow people to pick and choose what they wanted to do, and ignore the rest.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Sparky:

Nobody said anything about replacing duty position training with drill.  In our OTS program we devote 90 minutes to D&C and 30 minutes to reporting to an officer.  This provides merely a familiarization with basic drill.  The goal is to learn basic commands, stationary drill, facing movements, forward march and halt.  If time is left, we try columns and flanks, and rear march.  Reporting to an officer covers the hand salute.

There is a baseline body of knowledge that every officer needs to know.  Drill is a part of that knowledge.  I don't use meeting time for drill, once they learn the basics they will either go to a senior unit and never use it again or go into cadet programs and learn a lot more.

In OCS I had to qualify with the M-60 machine gun.  After OCS, I never fired one again.

[CAP_truth]

Lets go back when:
1. The current OBC was required prior to being promoted to an officer grade.
2.UCC required before you can be appointed to a unit commander or deputy commander.
3.Unit commanders should have a tech level in all three CAP mission areas.

[Eclipse]

Lets go back when:
1. The current OBC was required prior to being promoted to an officer grade.
2.UCC required before you can be appointed to a unit commander or deputy commander.
3.Unit commanders should have a tech level in all three CAP mission areas.

Where do I sign?

[ol'fido]

We have a Training Leaders of Cadets(TLC) Course. How about a Training Leaders of Seniors Course(TLS) to teach Mentoring and PD Coaching.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Lets go back when:
1. The current OBC was required prior to being promoted to an officer grade.
2.UCC required before you can be appointed to a unit commander or deputy commander.
3.Unit commanders should have a tech level in all three CAP mission areas.

Where do I sign?

I could almost agree, I would sign if it weren't for one thing.
How do you get most ratings? As it stands right now you get your ratings by holding positions and participating in training and conferences. 
If you were to put that requirement for CC then you would most of the time require personnel to hold multiple positions in a squadron, while that happens quite often is not the ideal way to train. Change the training requirements to specialty training courses as in schools then I would sign up in a heart beat.

[Eclipse]

The ratings are earned through personal training, some testing, and staff service.  For most members, attaining a tech rating
is just a matter of documenting what they are doing as a matter of their normal service and participation, and since the completion
is the subjective call of the local commander, you don't necessarily have to be The "x-Officer" to serve that role and complete the
rating.

1-2 years is reasonable for attaining at least a tech rating in the big three, and seriously, do we really want unit CC's with less
than 2 years in and who ignore PD?

For me personally, by the time I was a unit CC, I had earned the senior level in CP & ES, but had essentially ignored AE beyond the
bare minimum to be versed as a CC.  This has been an issue ever since, and I am not nearly as versed in the nuances of that program as I am in the other two.

[Eclipse]

Another point to those who nay-say more requirements because their wing is remiss in providing training.

I still hold this is circular, and takes some fortitude in changing.  For every member who says there is no SLS near them,
there is at least one staffer who put one together and no one showed up.

If we treat PD as a matter-of-course requirement, instead of a last-minute check box, people would have two choices:

A) Just do it ("As in, yes, its a long drive, but is all part of the game, we all did it".)

B) Put their money where their mouth is and host one locally.
(My SLS was 6 hours away, then I asked a few questions and hosted the CLC in my home unit.)

People do what is presented as fun, important, or required, in that order.  CC's need to stress all three for PD.

[Chappie]

We have a Training Leaders of Cadets(TLC) Course. How about a Training Leaders of Seniors Course(TLS) to teach Mentoring and PD Coaching.

You may want to look at two publications:

CAPP 50-7 (2004)  MENTORING:  Building Our Members

CAPP 229 (2009)  ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE Specialty Guide

[arajca]

When it comes to hosting a PD course, you do NOT need to have taken the course previously. As the host, you are basically responsible for the location, sign-ups, materials, and arranging for instructors. You do not have to be an instructor yourself.

[Hawk200]

Some good ideas. Like some of Kach's.

As for initial training, I don't agree with just a single weekend idea. I think the optimal would be a few Saturdays (I'd say three over a quarter), some online instruction, and one meeting out of the month for those new seniors (meaning that they don't just sit in a meeting listening to people talk, or down the donuts). Of course, if people don't want to do it, add an incentive. Finish the three month training period and get your butterbars, six months if you don't. I'd bet a few people might decide to live with it.

Content should include D&C. D&C isn't even something the military uses on a day to day basis, but it does teach teamwork. I rarely marched anywhere Active Duty after I left Tech school (on an order of about once per year over a ten year period), but I still know how and am expected to. If you're part of a paramilitary organization, you should know how to march. Even in the beginning days of CAP, it was taught. I'm not advocating that it should be done every meeting, or even after that initial training, just make sure people know.

Of course, I also find it amusing how many people want to "work with the kids", but don't want to learn some of what they know.

Organization is a definite necessity. People should know more than just squadron and wing (which I am constantly surprised how many people think the chain of command is squadron-wing-National).

A brief breakdown of specialty tracks would be a good idea. Nothing in-depth like having to know what the PD requirements for each line of it is, but some basic familiarization, and how each one might interact with others.

Probably not a bad idea to include decorations. What's the point of wearing them if people don't know what they mean? I can understand if a CAP member doesn't know what my military ribbons are, but when people ask what my Loening or my Encampment ribbon is it's a little strange.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Hawk:

We TRIED to do multiple weekends/multiple saturdays, but our group is as busy as a mongoose in a cobra pit, and it became too much of a PITA to schedule and manage.  Plus the local commanders wanted their people trained up quicker so they can use them.  Our current training goes from 0700 on Saturday to 2030 with two breaks for meals, and 0800 to 1630 on Sunday.

We also tried to award 2nd Lt. to graduates of the program, waiving the 6-month TIG requirement.  National HQ disapproved our request for an exception to policy.

We discuss the senior program awards during the PD class, and the cadet awards briefly in the Cadet Programs class.  I also have a powerpoint on CAP awards, but the schedule is pretty full, and I have not been able to work it in.  I keep it in reserve in case an instructor finishes early.  In the room where the training takes place in my HQ are posters with CAP awards, insignia, and history.

[Major Carrales]

50 CAP Officers marching columns and flanks is pretty, but if they are not pilots and there is no one to fly cadets, nor the REDCAP missions nor you name it then our effectiveness if forfeit.

Good luck with your pipe-dreaming.

Senior Members, unless directly operating cadet matters, have never marched in any of our parades.  Those have been cadet activities in these parts for years.  Yes, Eclipse, your Wing might be a paradise and you may be able to turn away pilots and the like; but we are not all that lucky to have the CAP "Garden of Eden" in our area. 

Never forget that.  That is a big problem with the "dreamers" here, you fail to take into account the realities.

Maybe...just maybe...next time we need hurricane recovery missions flown, I can call upon the personal of the unit to execute a column left.  Or, next CD mission I can have a guidon bearer assume the front right position.   Maybe I can have a Lt Col with countless flight experience, a willingness to fly cadets and train others 2b'ed because he can't or won't do a right flank.  We are about serving the community as a force multiplier, losing sight of that is dangerous.

Now, if you want these things you will have to institute them gradually and then, when finished, in totality.  By that I mean, we have to sell it as such from the start.  How many of you will add D&C to the recruiting spiel?  When recruiting at an airshow do you have an aircraft static display, or do you have a formation of men marching as if they were facing the British during the War of 1812?  Answer honestly?

To have military customs and courtesies and military drill and ceremonies to this level it has to become a "program/curriculum" thing.  Going over it for 30 min at an initial training is not enough.  Selling "aviation" as our main goal from the start is to pilots and aircrew must send the wrong message.  How much of our public affairs literature shows men and women in flight suits marching?  Hummmm?

[ZigZag911]

Here's my 2 cents worth:

1) all the courses need some preliminary preparation by the participants, so they all start on the same page

2) all the courses need some sort of assessment tool for measuring student comprehension and learning

Both could easily be done online.

For Level 1, SLS, CLC, an online quiz (open book) would suffice for #2.

For TLC & UCC, something more along the lines of an essay test would be better.

For RSC & NSC there should be a 'capstone project' - could be a group effort (e.g, an RSC seminar working together); could be research, planning, program design, media project...many possibilities.