Ret'd members as Instructors??

[mandj]

I recently completed an advanced EOD course at the Naval EOD School at Eglin AFB Florida. To alleviate the drain of experienced pers from front line units they are contracting retired members to teach at the school.
I feel this addresses two issues, we don't completely lose the knowledge and experience of retired soldiers and secondly, fit deployable soldiers can stay at the units.
Don't get me wrong, I know we can't make our schools completely civilian, however they could definitely augment the existing training cadres????

 

[Jungle]

It is already being done in some of our schools, but in a different form. People who decide to pull the plug are sometimes offered positions, with no loss of rank, as Reservists with 1 to 3 year full-time contracts.

 

[AmmoTech90]

There's quite a few civilian instructors in CE trades at CFSME here in Gagetown.  Fairly regular job offers as instructors come up through Human  Resources.

 

[mandj]

Thanks I guess I need to get out more???

 

[gun plumber]

CFSEME as well has a good number of retired\civilian instructors on its payroll in Borden.

 

[Navalsnpr]

CFNES also has quite a few civilian staff and retired military instructing there.

 

[KevinB]

It happens a lot in some circles.

I was down south and several of the instructors on the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course were ex members now civilians who where hired to impart their knowledge - some of these folk are past CRA and thus insread of losing their lifetime of skills have ben hired.

The same thing occurs elsewhere however the US seems to have it worked out to a much higher degree than us and civilian counterparts have rank equivalency.

 

[childs56]

The airforce is in the process of doing this as we speak at CFSATE. I have been in training for a year now and have seen around 20 civies (ex military mainly) being hired by Calium, as instructers for the tech trades. The problem with this here is that guys are leaving the military one day and working for the civie contracter the next day. To me this is not a solution, all were doing is taking from one side to give to the other, we still have a shortage of trained military instructers and NCO's. But yes i think it is great idea to use Civies.

 

[mo-litia]

After decades of cutbacks would I be far off in saying that there are likely close to as many retired (or quit) soldiers of working age as there are currently serving CF members in Canada?

And, yes, I agree that we need to pass on as many skills from one military generation to the next.

 

[1feral1]

Although not Defence related, I thought I'd chuck this into the ring.

Currently, some retired Regina City Police personnel are firearms instructors at the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. This has been ongoing for at almost 5 years. So it must be working.

Here in Australia at ALTC (Army Logistics Training Centre) located in Aubury - Wadonga on teh NSW-Vic border, retired RAEME personnel instruct 'armourers to be' in the Small Arms Wing, and the Artillery Wing. This has been the case for at least the past 7 or 8 yrs or longer.

In some occasions experience vs text book over rules.

Regards,

Wes

 

[pbi]

In my opinion this has to be approached very carefully. An instructor is also a leader and a role model. To what extent can a civilian fill this role? I could see this in certain specific cases, but only as individual exceptions embedded in an otherwise strong military environment that socializes the student to military life and to the operational application of what he is being taught, not just as a skill so he can get out and flog himself for hire on civvy street. Just a thought. Cheers.

 

[mo-litia]

In my opinion this has to be approached very carefully. An instructor is also a leader and a role model. To what extent can a civilian fill this role? I could see this in certain specific cases, but only as individual exceptions embedded in an otherwise strong military environment that socializes the student to military life and to the operational application of what he is being taught, not just as a skill so he can get out and flog himself for hire on civvy street. Just a thought. Cheers.

I agree with you on this; but wouldn't you concede that Canada's military may be well served by tapping into the pool of skills of retired members considering the massive 'getting out' of skilled, experienced members over the last couple of decades?  IMO, we would be well served to tap this skillset while we still are able to.

 

[pbi]

My issue is not so much with the use of selected, suitable, former serving. Judiciously used, these could do a good job: about half of the teaching staff at USMC Command and Staff College in Quantico when I attended were former serving, which worked well. However, what I would be afraid of is that in our drive to pinch pennies while forgetting professional ethos in a mad rush to "efficiency", we might farm more and more of this out to civvies, more and more of whom would have less and less connection to the military. That, IMHO, would not meet the "role model"  and "leader" requirement that I feel is vital for instructors. Cheers.

 

[mo-litia]

Very good point.