Time between REME trade courses

Not sure whether to put this in the TA Forum or the REME one. However:

Just spoke to Bordon to confirm a rumour I've heard regarding Class 1 courses for REME TA. They've put the minimum period that you must serve as a class 2 (before you can go on your class 1) up from 2 years to four years. They also used to let you go on the course if you had served less than the 2 years as long as they had spaces. This has been changed to be "you must serve four years with no exceptions".

A little background on Armourer courses:
They run one a year. This is often cancelled. Last years Class 1 (under the old rules) was one that they cancelled. They've just sent out a note informing that there are spaces on the upcoming class 1, or that will be cancelled too.

What is the impact of this and why am I so miffed? Well because it's holding my 'career' (term used loosely as we're in the TA forum) up. My unit don't want to promote non-class 1s and there is the knock on impact of progressing onto tiffy training. To be honest, it's starting to get on my tits.
They've also just trawled for 4 TA Class 1 Armourers for Herrick. How do they expect to get such people if they make up barking rules and cancel courses? The existing skill face is bad enough, but under these rules there could be a gap of 6 years (minimum) in seeing some weapon systems (sniper rifle for example).

Anyone else suffering from this type of stupidity or have any solutions (short of going on a killing spree) for the above?

 

Welcome to the Regular Army....

msr

 

Isn't Borden wonderful!

Had a similar experience on a Tech Stmns course, was told could not attend Class 1 without leaving a 2 yr gap from Class 2.

Wksp Offr wrote nice little note to the TA Courses Admin ASM saying course needed, so I got on the course with only a 15 month gap.

At end of course de-brief, TA Course Admin ASM, brought up the subject of minimum time in trade between courses and went on to explain that obviously you have to have a certain amount of experience between class 2 and class 1 and how it would be very difficult to pass a class 1 course without this experience.

At which point I explained that in the 15 month gap between my class 2 and class 1 I had not stepped foot into my Company's stores and therefore had no more experience on my Class 1 course than I did on my Class 3/2 (which was also zero experience).

Howerver I did manage to scrape a pass at class one with 98%.

Barking!!!!!

 

Sigs used to have the same problem. 2 years ago I went on the first Ptarmigan AS OP class 1 course to run for approx three years, with the previous ones all cancelled for the same reasons quoted above. But enough people in the C of C kicked up a stink and things did change, for example my course had only 3 students but still went ahead.

Maybe Bordon need to have a word with Blandford to see how they have changed things.

Just out of interest do you need your class 1 to be promoted to Sgt as we do ?

 

They will need to do their Senior CLM, like we will have to next year (This is the renamed SSgt course)

 

No idea what a Senior CLM is but we have to be a Class 1 and do a Senior Military Certificate (SMC) which is a 2 week course on how to be a stripey.

 

SMC is a thing of the past, its now J(CLM) and S(CLM) but the (S/CLM) is no longer done to get youe Sgt as the SMC was I believe. Totally fcucked up if you ask me just like the next few years if Bordon is moved to St Athans for trade courses.

 

In the "pink" the REME TA still do SMC courses. There are 2 running within the next year and I have just got 2 of my Cpls on the one in September.

ST2B, if you get hold of a copy of the pink (your PSI should have one & ASM Trg at CVHQ will no doubt send you one if you ask) it explains the new format for REME TA trade trg. There is also a CD-ROM available so you can print off copies of the Trade Proficiency Booklets. They are also on DEME(A) website if you have access to the intranet.