Staff development is key part of life at 1279 (Melton Mowbray) Squadron, Air Cadets. Civilian Instructor Karl Attwood, the squadron’s Duke of Edinburgh Award officer has seen that first hand as he has put in a large amount of time during 2015 to prepare himself for uniformed service with the Air Cadet Organisation.
Karl is part way through the process of applying to become a commissioned officer within the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training) Branch (RAFVR(T)). The most recent part of this application process was an ‘Officer and Aircrew Selection’ preparation day, the first of its type within South and East Midlands Wing. The day was run by the Leadership and Development Centre, who oversee staff training and development within South and East Midlands Wing.
Karl was a cadet with 1279 (Melton Mowbray) Squadron when he was younger and after his daughter joined the unit more recently, he decided to give some time back as a Civilian Instructor, joining the staff team in 2013. He has recently taken on the role on Duke of Edinburgh Award officer, with the task of getting cadets through their award, tracking their process and organising the administration to make sure that their time on the scheme is smooth. All of the skills that he’s had to use in this role have helped him through the process over the past year.
After successfully being recommended from a Wing Pre-Uniform Course, passing a Pre-Board interview and then getting through his Wing Filter Interview, he is in the last stages of application as he prepares to spend a weekend at RAF College Cranwell at the Officer and Aircrew Selection (OASC) Centre. There, he will be interviewed, put through planning exercises, challenged with leadership exercises and constantly assessed to see whether he is suitable for the task of being an officer. The OASC preparation day gave Karl a chance to meet others at the same stage in their application and find out a bit more about what is needed to be successful at the final stages of his application process. The candidates on the course were all put through their paces, by the experienced directing staff, with practice interviews, command tasks, group discussions and much more.
After a very useful day, Karl commented, “I enjoyed the day and it helped by exposing me to the format of the planning and hangar exercises that I would have not otherwise experienced. It really helped to highlight what I should work on so I can give a stronger performance when I go to OASC.”