2010newbie said:
I am not saying an extra year of basic training.
Sure looks like it to me:
The term could start with the recruit week, FYOP, the school semesters, then finish with the completion of BMOQ. The school studies would focus on CF related courses (OPME's, Elemental specific courses, and whatever other junior officer courses are beneficial)
Most in service applicants end up being BMOQ bypasses (so also no need for anything that comes before it), and often have the required environmental training. Usually they have some or all of their OPME credits as well. The ROTP candidates usually do most of the rest of that stuff in the summer terms. What time is being saved here?
I am suggesting the first year of university is taken at RMC in a military environment. The courses taken would be university-level courses (6 OPME's and 4 other military related courses that would be beneficial to junior officers). Also that credits be given for BMOQ and MOC training for cadets to use as electives at civilian university (or RMC) instead of taking basket-weaving or some other course.
All the in service guys have been in a military environment for a minimum of 4 years, usually a lot more. The DEO guys will be put to work in a military environment right away. The RMC guys too. Are you just saying you wished you'd gone to RMC instead?
I agree it should. I could pick out 6 or so from my BMOQ serial that shouldn't have passed
Apparently, the CFLRS staff disagree.
and a couple that joined just to get the first year free of school at a civy university (since if you VR before start of second year there is no financial penalty). By having all cadets to spend the first 9 months living in a military college followed by 3 months of basic and the fact that civy university is off the table for there "free year" could dissuade some.
Why would swapping the location of a year of free education stop anyone from using the system? Especially after you went out and convinced the civvy-u he really wants to go to that they should give full credit for all the work. If you're saying we can get rid of the abuser after one year instead of having to keep him for 30: great IMO.
Again, I agree that under the current structure it would be difficult. This would have to be a coordinated effort between the CF/RMC/ and some civilian universities to establish specific degrees that would apply to this or lists of acceptable transfer credits the universities would accept. This isn't unprecedented either, there are Defence Management diploma programs at some colleges that combine RMC OPME's and college courses resulting in a diploma.
We have a list of degrees that are acceptable already. If your university doesn't include the OPME credits in the program, you do them later on your own time. Seems like a pretty small thing to do in exchange for a 100% scholarship at the university of your choice.
I don't know capacities or anything like that at RMC, but it would be no different than RMC first-year students except all scholastic work would be military related, so I don't see what kind of facilities would need to be built. The cadets would still head to St-Jean for BMOQ. If some civy u's would accept the military training provided in lieu of general electives (and core courses for the right degree programs) there would be time and money saved. If a 4-year degree is completed in 3-years (1 year at RMC, 2 summer terms equalling one year of military training, and 2 years at civy u) you are saving one year of time.
Sending all the officers there for their first year instead of less than half of them would require a lot more classrooms and professors. Environmental training is usually conducted within the environment, where those training facilities already exist. This would require posting a bunch of highly skilled people away from their operational bases, and rotating them through at a fairly high frequency to keep their skills up to date.
If some civvy-u would accept that, it would be great. But then you have to wait on their PLAR process. And if the specific degree can't be shortened by a whole year through this, you just turned a 3 or 4 year degree into a 4 or 5 year degree.
I didn't think of the moving costs for the cadets though, that is a good point. I also didn't say it is a perfect plan and it is the only way the CF should proceed. I'm just throwing out ideas I have had as an OCdt trying to complete my degree as fast as possible and the success I have had with my school providing credit for military courses and training.
RMC has a degree designed for producing officers as fast as possible: the BMASc. They grant credit for mil and second language trg, and can recognize previous post-secondary education. It's not perfect either, but it's doing the job for the CF and me. Maybe you picked the wrong entry plan for what you want.
If the CF needs degreed officers, it takes as long as it takes. The CEOTP has given them a bit of a stop-gap measure in this regard, although it takes its fair share of criticism for not having enforced completion of the degree. That said those of us selected under the plan now know the implications for not holding up our end of the bargain. We're moving out of the environment where "as fast as possible" is the theme for skill production, because our manning levels are much closer to where they need to be.
