RAF Engineer Branch & Trades Strategy 2014

RAF Engineer Branch and Trades Strategy2014

Delivering the engineering personnel component of the RAF Future Force 2020

Future Force 2020 RAF Engineer Branch and Trades Strategy

ForewordThe RAF Engineer Branch and Trades have in the past and will in the future continue to play a vital role in enabling the RAF and wider Defence to deliver its outputs. As the RAF transitions to Future Force 2020 (FF2020) and returns to a contingency posture the traditional role of the RAF Engineer Branch and Trades will endure – we will still need to operate and maintain highly technical equipments, be they aircraft, weapon systems, support equipment or the wide range of information systems a modern air force now needs to allow it to operate and be successful.

However, the introduction of new technology (platforms and equipment), future contracts particularly in the context of the Whole Force and the Material Strategy (and the impact that will have on acquisition in the future) will most likely generate a requirement to adapt the structure of the Engineer Branch and Trades as well as identifying new skills and competency requirements for our officers and trades persons at all ranks. The need to reinvigorate and develop our end-to-end systems understanding and thinking, including hardware, software and information systems across all engineering disciplines will become ever more prominent in the future. We will also need to become even more commercially and financially aware in everything we do – we will need to understand the cost of what we do, strive to reduce it whilst remaining effective and we will have to continue to live with risk. The business of the RAF is inherently risky and whilst ‘Can Do, Safely’ will continue to be at the heart of everything RAF engineers do we must accept that we cannot operate in a risk free manner all of the time so it will be incumbent on all to identify and manage risks in order that they are Tolerable and As Low as Reasonably Practicable ( ALARP). As such, all engineers should be committed to engendering a proactive and participatory safety culture

through a combination of the following 5 culture facets: a: Reporting Culture, b: Just Culture, c: Flexible Culture, d: Learning Culture e: Questioning Culture. Conversely, the exploitation of uncertainty can be fundamental to military success and we must ensure that our approach to risk management does not prevent us from thinking laterally and exploiting opportunity.

This strategy is not about preserving an engineering cadre of a specific size as an end in itself, it is about ensuring that in the future the RAF Engineer Branch and Trades has the right mix of technical skills, broader competencies and experience, in sufficient numbers across all ranks to meet the challenges of today with the agility to adapt for the challenges of tomorrow. As such this Strategy outlines the future context within which we will operate, and describes what we must collectively strive to be in order to succeed. It provides the backdrop to inform thinking and the hooks to direct the development of detailed plans, in order that we can optimise our contribution to the RAF and wider Defence outputs coherently and sustainably over the coming years.

Resource will be key for the implementation of this Strategy. Linking to wider and ongoing activity will help, as will A4 and A6 ownership of tasks, prioritisation and iterative development. However, the broad scope of the Strategy means that we will all have a part to play in its implementation.

Air-Vice Marshal Tim Bishop OBE MSc BSc CEng FIET RAF Head of the Engineer Branch and Trades

“My engineers are an essential component in delivering Air Power. Their contribution to delivering success on operations is vital”.CAS, ACM Sir Andrew Pulford KCB CBE ADC RAF

Key Points. This document will:• Explain the rationale behind the requirement to review and develop the Engineering Branch and Trades Strategy• Explain the drivers for change• Provide a clear vision of the end state and the ends, ways and means that are essential to deliver this• Explain how this strategy will become reality• Make clear how you will be kept informed and involved This strategy affects you!

More InformationKeep abreast of what is going on at : EBTS Intranet Page

End State A sustainable professionally qualified and agile Engineer Branch and Trades that fully embrace the Whole Force Approach - Regular, Reservists, Civil Servants and Contractors - and that is appropriately structured, competent, skilled and correctly trained to the right level at the right time in order to allow the RAF to deliver its outputs in support of wider Defence outputs.

RAF EnginEER BRAnch And TRAdEs sTRATEgy 2014

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http://defenceintranet.diif.r.mil.uk/Organisations/Orgs/RAF/Organisations/Orgs/HQAirCommand/Pages/EBTS.aspx

Future ContextAs the RAF transitions to FF2020 and the return to a contingency posture the Engineer Branch and Trades will face a number of challenges, but there will also be new opportunities. Uppermost in our minds is the need to embrace the Whole Force Approach comprising Regular, Reserves, Civil Servants and Contractors, in order to deliver an appropriately structured, correctly skilled and trained professional engineering component. Increasingly complex digital communications technology will be a cross-cutting theme across our platforms and equipment. This will require us to develop further our end-to-end system understanding to support software and information architectures. Allied to this, the rapid development of cyberspace will lead to a competition for resources, and the need to consider new career pathways. The Material Strategy will influence how we employ officers in the Capability and Acquisition areas and certification and maintenance of airworthiness is likely to become ever more challenging. This will require the development of new skills and competency requirements as we develop the Intelligent Requestor role and assimilate the implications of DE&S new status as a Bespoke Trading Entity. Regulation, licensing, and focus on airworthiness SQEP will increasingly influence how we manage individuals’ careers, particularly, but not exclusively, in the Aerosystems side of the Engineer Branch and Trade Group 1. Lightning II, our 5th generation combat aircraft, is likely to become the mainstay of our combat capability for decades to come. Its state of the art avionic and mechanical systems and Low Observability structure and coatings will represent a significant challenge for engineers striving to deliver class-leading serviceability and availability.

In the future operational space there is likely to be an emphasis on short notice, sharper and smaller interventions with an increased focus on non lethal capability and precision, accompanied by the need to quickly form Joint and Combined coalition structures. Additionally, there will be a need to satisfy a rapacious demand for secure and sufficient information to support commanders’ decision making in the prosecution of operations; moreover, the information environment is likely to be contested. Economic factors will continue to drive efficiencies and the exploitation of technology will enable us to revisit the live versus synthetic training balance, which will facilitate the introduction of alternative paradigms for force generation. In turn, this will create the opportunity to explore more radical changes to the support solutions. Wider societal factors will also affect the future development of our Branch and Trades, particularly our ability to sustain the specialisations against the backdrop of a national Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) shortage. Furthermore, lifestyle choices will continue to play a part in shaping the aspirations of our future engineers as the shift towards a ‘portfolio career’ approach takes hold. This feature, when combined with the introduction of more frequent career break points under the New Employment Model (NEM), will have the potential to affect our assumptions regarding recruitment and retention and ultimately, Return of Service which drives the sustainable size of our Branch and Trades.

We must seek to understand all of this, taken together, and set an appropriate and well-founded course to achieve a balanced and sustainable position for the Engineer Branch and Trades in order to allow the RAF and wider Defence to deliver its outputs.

RAF EnginEER BRAnch And TRAdEs sTRATEgy 2014 RAF EnginEER BRAnch And TRAdEs sTRATEgy 2014


“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” John F Kennedy

Future Technology. The introduction to Service of new platforms and equipment, particularly those that are information hungry and operate in the cyber environment, will dictate the need for a range of different skills and competences, in addition to the retention of current skills, of our engineering personnel at all levels and will challenge the validity of our current Branch and Trade structures. We need to embrace the challenge, open our minds to different ways of doing things and adapt accordingly.

Future contracts. Future contracts particularly in the context of the Whole Force Approach will, in a similar manner to Future Technology, challenge the validity of our extant maintenance constructs. Again, we need to embrace this challenge and seize the opportunity to do things differently so that we can employ our regular military personnel where their skill-set and experience adds most value to allow us to deliver RAF outputs in accordance with Defence Strategic Direction. We need to lead the development of a balanced engineering workforce made up of Regular, Reserve (including Sponsored Reserve), Civil Servant and Contractor personnel. We should also be alive to the opportunity, where it is appropriate, to have certain elements of our engineering activity (including Front Line and Depth) being undertaken without regular military personnel in the maintenance chain. We must not shy away from this challenge and must utilise the whole force approach to deliver the required capability in the most cost-effective way.

Future Acquisition. As DE&S transforms to a bespoke trading entity, it is challenging its civil servant population to upskill, particularly in the areas of Project, Programme and Financial Management. To remain competitive, engineer

officers and SNCOs will need to embrace the Upskilling challenge in order to maintain the RAF’s influence and credibility within DE&S and ensure that the future acquisition organisation remains focussed on delivering to the military need. The debate to date has focussed on “what RAF engineers the DE&S wants in the future”, however the DE&S represents the only opportunity for many RAF engineers to build some of the essential experience they will require to undertake specialist roles within the Front Line Commands and the future debate must therefore also cover “what RAF engineers the RAF needs within the future DE&S”. Separately, the implementation of Defence Reform and the continuing evolution of the Material Strategy is changing the division of responsibility between Head Office, DE&S and Single Service Commands significantly. The Engineer Branch and Trades will need to be proactive in recognising these changing requirements and exploit those opportunities where wider engineering skills are needed, while recognising where draw-downs can be made in order to maintain a capable, coherent, balanced and sustainable cadre that can support the required Defence output.

Shortage of Engineers. There is a global shortage of engineers1. The UK is not immune to this shortage and as the economic recovery continues this shortage is likely to endure until our Youth see engineering, and in our case engineering in the RAF as an attractive career anchor going forward. This will present a significant challenge for the Engineer Branch and Trades as we transition to FF2020 and beyond and we need to reinvigorate and renew not only our approach to engineer recruitment, but just as importantly, development and retention.

Drivers for Change and ImplicationsIn addition to the return to a contingent posture and transition to FF2020 including the Whole Force Approach, the following will shape the future RAF Engineer Branch and Trades:

1The Institution of Engineering and Technology – ‘Skills and Demand in Industry’ - Annual Survey 2014.



Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP) SQEP can be defined as “An individual who has sufficient qualifications and experience in a defined skill area and is deemed competent and able to implement that skill, at one of four levels: Supervised; Unsupervised; Supervising; and, Expert.” The need to ensure that all Engineer Branches and Trades personnel are well prepared to carry out their tasks confidently, proficiently and safely is nothing new. However, the Haddon-Cave report of 2009 highlighted the requirement to ensure that training and assurance is appropriate, robust and auditable.

It is not appropriate to view qualification alone as an indication of competency. There has to be a period of carefully recorded, supervised and tested time that allows the individual to apply their learning before being examined and authorised as competent. Depending on the role, to be considered SQEP may require individuals to hold one authorisation or a suite of authorisations – these may be accumulated during a tour or throughout a career. As with the flying world some authorisations will require the holder to be regularly assessed to provide continued assurance of their competence.

Whilst SQEP applies to all Engineer disciplines, the method of assessing and managing SQEP may vary depending on the nature of the work in question.



Whole Force in Action: End-to-End Information Services Whole Force in Action: Typhoon

The Typhoon Force has embraced Whole Force from its outset. The Force mix is predominately full-time servicemen and contractors; however Full Time Reserves are employed within the Forward domain where continuity has been seen as an advantage.

The current Typhoon availability support arrangements have meant that BAES, SELEX and Rolls Royce have been a fundamental part of the Force’s structure for many years. Contractors are responsible for the delivery of on and off-aircraft Depth Maintenance activity and technical support services, both at RAF Coningsby and Lossiemouth (and previously at RAF Leuchars). The early transformation work sought to concentrate Service personnel in the Forward domain, whilst retaining a proportion of Service manpower in Depth to, amongst other things meet concurrency

requirements, maintain skill of hand, provide Harmony respite to the Front Line and ensure the viability of deployed Depth support.

The Typhoon Support Centre has MOD Project Team and industry personnel working alongside each other supporting the Engineering Authority, whilst also providing timely reach back to the Design Authority. Additionally, the support arrangement regularly sees technical support deployed forward onto the sqns to assist with fault diagnostics and continuity training, both for UK activity and whilst deployed on operations/exercises.

Finally, there is also a partnered approach with military and civilian instructors delivering Typhoon technical and pilot ground school training at RAF Coningsby.

In the UK, the DII desktop is provided through ATLAS, an industry consortium that delivers and maintains this equipment. On RAF Stations, the communications infrastructure which the DII is connected to is also provided and maintained by industry – often a mixture of ATLAS with BT. On site, there will typically be an ATLAS site manager, a BT manager and a civil servant from the Joint Forces Command Information Systems & Services (ISS) organisation who all work hand-in-hand with the RAF C4I Sqn to ensure that the DII service meets the user needs.

In a deployed location, the communications infrastructure and DII desktop are all provided through industry. However, in the early stages of an operation, this capability is deployed

by military communicators – by the UK RAF No 90 Signals Unit. The communications link (satellite or cable) that connects the UK to the deployed location is provided on behalf of Defence by industry.

The provision of the overall end-to-end desktop service is governed from the Joint Forces Command Global Operations & Security Control Centre, which has military (from all 3 Services) and industry engineers working alongside each other. On enduring, steady state operations, it is always the aim to bring in fully commercialised system when the operational tempo and security situation allows. This allows High Readiness CIS Enablers to recover and prepare for future operations.

Employ“Ends”

What we must or choose to do

Sustain“Ways”

Develop

“Means”

Recruit Retain- Train- Manage

- Recognise

Driver

Constraint

Enabler

Whole Force in Action: Voyager



A sustainable professionally qualified and agile Engineer Branch and Trades that fully embrace the Whole Force Approach – Regular, Reservists, Civil Servants and Contractors – and that is appropriately structured, competent, skilled and correctly trained to the right level at the right time in order to allow the RAF to deliver its outputs in support of wider Defence outputs.

RAF engineers are driven by the need to determine what outcomes and hence activity and roles are the most important at any given time to allow us to deliver our outputs. As a result we must remain agile in everything we do so that we can apportion available resources to achieve our tasks. In an ideal world we would be able to do everything asked of us all of the time, but ultimately we will be constrained by available resource, in terms of pure numbers of personnel, their SQEP credentials and the physical equipment available to deliver the task. In turn, what is achievable (and sustainable) is a variable that changes over time.

From an equipment perspective the position in 2020 is relatively clear- we know what aircraft will be in-service and generically, what communication and information systems will be available and likewise what general support equipment will be in-service. Therefore, our challenge is to: understand how and where to best Employ RAF engineers to operate and maintain the in service capable, and develop it and new capabilities for the future; how to Sustain a workforce (Whole Force) to deliver the ‘how and where’; which we will only be able to do if we can

End State

Recruit, develop and Retain, or where appropriate contract in the right numbers of engineers.

In ‘Ends’, ‘Ways’ and ‘Means’ terminology:Ends - the ‘Ends’ is what we have to do as engineers to deliver our outputs. In reality it is how we Employ the engineering work force, noting that this will change over time.

Ways - the ‘Ways’ is how we develop the Engineer Branch and Trades over time to ensure we can deliver the ‘Ends’. In short this is how we sustain and evolve the Engineer Branch and Trades so that they are appropriately structured and ready for the challenges of today and able to adapt at pace to the challenges of tomorrow.

Means - the ‘Means’ is how we Recruit, develop and Retain RAF engineers, or contract in engineers where appropriate, to allow us to Sustain an Engineer Branch and Trades with correctly skilled, appropriately trained, agile and motivated personnel.

Delivering the End State - What We Need To Do

Engineer Branch and Trades Strategy FrameworkThe Voyager Force has been established through a Private Finance Initiative and the engineering support is provided by AirTanker Services (ATrs). The maintenance of the aircraft is carried out in accordance with civilian EASA Regulations, regardless of whether the aircraft is on the Civilian or Military Register. The engineering workforce on Voyager is controlled by ATrS and is a mix of embedded RAF Regulars, Contractors and Sponsored Reserves, with aircraft maintenance split between Line and Depth.

Line Maintenance provides the day-to-day support for the flying programme and provides all the manpower for the down-route support and at deployed bases. It is split into 4 shifts, 2 of which are led by Flight Sergeants. The 2 contractor-led shifts have Chief Technician Shift Managers. This contractor/military mix in management and supervision

is reflected throughout the layers within the shift – the contractor/military mix in Line Maintenance is 50:50. In addition, industry colleagues are also Sponsored Reserves; therefore, the same engineers work together on shift at RAF Brize Norton as deploy together. The Sponsored Reserves are ATrS employees but when deployed with the military registered aircraft, they wear RAF uniform as a member of the RAF Reserves. They have already supported Operations in HERRICK and are detached to support Voyager in the Falkland Islands. There are currently no RAF Regular personnel in the depth Maintenance organisation. However, ATrS is starting to build up its cadre of Sponsored Reserves to provide more manpower to the deployable pool and will also utilise RAF Regulars who move across from the Line maintenance.



InFLUEncE

AIR/Other TLBs

Other TLBs

Delivering the EndsWe need to determine where best to place our Regular Service engineers in order to maximise the value they bring to the delivery of RAF and wider Defence outputs. This will be achieved through a sustainable cadre of officers and technicians within Whole Force principles and across a range of competing priorities. We will need to consider what we must do to deliver core outputs in Air TLB and other TLBs, cognisant of our

manning commitment to NATO and other organistaions. We will also need to consider what we would like to do, or wish to influence.

In concert with wider RAF manning priorities, we will develop engineer post prioritisation criteria across all ranks with which to apportion our resource across the employment spectrum using the following model as the lens through which to plan:

Branch & Trades Employment Spectrum

Providing ‘Direct’ and ‘In-direct’ support to operations remains at the heart of the Engineer Branch & Trades employment. Our more junior officers and airmen will spend the majority of their time in ‘direct’ support posts, whilst as Engineer officers and airmen at the more senior ranks gain experience they will spend a greater proportion of their time in ‘In-direct’ support and ‘Influence’ posts:

AIRDirect Outputs

Direct Outputs

In-direct Outputs

Delivering the WaysWe must strive to achieve force structures that are as effective and efficient as they can be. For our technician cadres, operational scale and readiness will be the dominant if not overwhelming factor in determining our force mix within the fixed MOB and deployed space. For our officers, the same principle will apply, but we must also ensure that we embrace our wider roles in Defence Management.

We will need to develop detailed Defence Strategic Direction-based plans to inform Whole Force structures across the spectrum of Branch and Trades employment, taking direction from higher level planning guidance and operational planning assumptions as appropriate.

For the Branch sub-specialisations and individual Trades we must develop and maintain a detailed sustainability model comparing our current position to the anticipated FF2020 construct and seek to identify the variables which will influence future sustainability both in terms of cadre size and optimum tour lengths. This work will need to be cognisant of the fact that sustainable cadre size is wholly dependent on how many engineers enter into productive service each year, how many leave productive service and how long engineers serve for when they are in productive service, and will need to consider the effects of change to the model in terms of cost, time for training and the implications of churn in the workplace on the development of SQEP over time.

Delivering the MeansWe must determine how we manage the Branch and Trades, in terms of matching the needs of the organisation and the individual, to deliver SQEP and rewarding careers that retain an appropriate element of opportunity for career broadening that does not inadvertently impact on career progression.

RecruitWe will need to develop an integrated Recruitment Campaign Plan in partnership with No 22 (Training) Group on Branch and Trade requirements, deliver improved marketing literature, targeted advertising and better engagement including the use of Engineer Officers and Trades Persons to support recruiting events. We must also showcase the diverse and

exciting careers available, along with the valuable skills and qualifications developed.

DevelopTechnical convergence, Whole Force considerations and the need to live within a sustainable cadre requires a reconsideration of roles and the apportionment of available personnel. We will need to develop clear plans of how we propose to map people to those roles over time. These plans must consider how we balance the need to grow Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) within a bounded employment field up to and including Gp Capt against the influence from technical convergence which suggests increasing broadening across the aircraft/communications interface, both within the Engineer Branch and across Trade Groups 1 and 4.

Additionally, these plans must consider what represents a reasonable and defined employment field in terms of the ability of individuals to learn, the cost of training and the risk of dilution of SME SQEP through broadening. Further, we must determine whether the development of a competency framework and the establishment of training interventions where specific SQEP may be lacking will provide the agility we seek to enable individuals to move up and across employment fields.

Fundamentally, these plans must determine whether we are up-skilling within existing boundaries or the need for a more radical revision of our existing construct.

RetainThe length of time an individual stays in productive service (called Return of Service (RoS)) is a critical enabler in the delivery of sustainable cadres and we need to be target led to ensure we maximise the investment in our people in terms of training and SQEP development. We will need to develop a range of measures to ensure that we retain the best people in line with our aspired RoS.



Governance and ImplementationTo turn this Strategy into reality we must harness, organise and integrate a diverse stakeholder grouping, both within and out-with the RAF to ensure we understand fully what is required of RAF engineers in the future in order that we can recruit, develop and retain the right number of appropriately qualified engineers to deliver our outputs. We need a Governance structure to direct and guide the detailed work, to review progress, and test and adjust our detailed plans as we go, and we need working groups to develop and implement the detailed plans. The Engineer Branch and Trade Sponsors, along with the Operational Sponsors and manning staffs will have a key role to play in turning this Strategy into reality.

Turning Strategy into RealityThe Engineer Branch and Trades Sponsor (EBTS) sits at the hub of a stakeholder community responsible for Whole Force (WF) capability developments, manpower requirements planning, recruitment, training, resource allocation and career development - as shown in the diagram.

The Branch and Trade Operations Sponsors work with the employers of engineers to determine the numbers and ranks

of engineers they need to deliver their outputs and the skills the engineers require. This information forms a demand signal to the EBTS who develops the structures needed to sustain the Engineer Branch and Trades so that they can deliver what is asked of them. In doing this the EBTS work with the Manning Staff in COS Personnel’s area to ensure the right number of engineer posts and associated funding is available, and with 22 (Trg) Gp to ensure that the right number of engineers are recruited at the right time, and the correct engineering phase 2 and 3 training courses exist and are available when needed to train the engineer cadre as appropriate. In addition, the EBTS will also be informed by the Influence Lane Working Groups - Employ, Sustain, Recruit, Develop and Retain - who will add to the individual Op Sponsors analysis as well as identifying pan-trade issues.

In sum the EBTS direct, cohere and coordinate the engineering Op Sponsors in planning how we should deliver future engineer capability, lead on engagement with other key stakeholders to agree necessary change, and support the Op Sponsors in delivery of change.

Employers of Engineers

hoB

Engineer Branchand Trades Sponsor

Engineering TradesOp Sponsors

Engineer Sub-branchOp Sponsors

22(Trg)gpRecruit/Train

cOS PersManning Progress

DemandDemand

Constraint Constraint

D&G

DemandDemand

ConstraintConstraint

DemandDemand

ConstraintConstraint

FF2020End State

Steeringgroup- Direction- Guidance- Authority

Referencegroup- Confirm- Refine

Employ

Sustain

Recruit

develop

Retain

Impl

emen

tati

on P

lans

EB&TS

Op Sponsor

ILWg

PlanInfluencecOnOPS

capability

Synchronisationcoherence

Recruit• We will reinvigorate the Engineer Liaison Team and make better use of the talent within the Engineer Branch & Trades in the support of RAF outreach programmes to maximize the recruitment of high quality external candidates into the RAF.

• We will review the mix of entry methods to the Engineer Branch and Trades in order to maximize the balance of perspective, experience and potential RoS of our future engineer cadre.



Influence Lane Working groups (ILWg). EBTS will co-ordinate the work of the ILWG to ensure the implementation plans to realise the Strategy End State are coherent and synchronised to deliver the desired effects in the correct order. The ILWG will be led at Wing Commander level and will work with a wider range of stakeholders to ensure success. ILWG will address the ‘Ends’, ‘Ways’ and ‘Means’ of delivering the Engineer Branch and Trade Strategy ‘End State’. Membership will comprise the leading SMEs from across the Influence Lanes, ensuring appropriate synchronisation and coherence across the Branch and Trade Group Implementation Plans.

Reference group (Rg). It is vital that the Implementation Plans to deliver the Strategy are pragmatic and achievable, within the resources available to us. To this end a RG will provide a ‘test and adjust’ function to ensure the Strategy remains relevant as we go forward. The RG will be chaired by Chief of Staff 38 Gp in his capacity as Engineering Policy and Plans advisor to the Head of the Engineer Branch and Trades. Members of the RG will include, but not be limited to: Wing Commanders in Command Appointments (such as OC Eng Wgs and OC TCW): Subject Matter Experts in niche areas: CE WO and the A4 and A6 Force WOs.

Steering group (Sg). The SG will provide overall direction, guidance and authority for the implementation of the RAF Engineer Branch and Trades Strategy. The SG will be chaired by the Head of the Engineer Branch and Trades (AOC 38 Gp) and will include: the Head of Specialisation for the Aero Systems Sub-Branch and the aircraft and general engineering Trades (AOA4); the Head of the Communications Electronics Sub-Branch and Information Communications Technology Trade (AOA6); the Chief Engineer’s Warrant Officer (CE WO) and the A4 and A6 Force WOs. In addition, a number of non-specialist engineer members will also provide independent advice to the SG.

Governance

Strategy Implementation Framework

Employ• We will use the Engineer Employment Model to ensure that we identify and then employ our engineering manpower where their skills are most needed to deliver RAF and wider Defence outputs.

• We will work with the employers of the engineering work force to ensure that their requirements are clearly understood and associated Job Specifications accurately reflect Essential and Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience.

• We will look to fully exploit the opportunities afford by Project TITAN to ensure we provide the opportunity for Engineer Warrant Officers to undertake commissioned service as Engineer Officers.

Sustain• We will, in the short term, focus on returning the Branch & Trades to manning balance and managing the impact of the current shortfalls, while striving for more sustainable and stable manpower requirements over the longer-term.

• We will use the Whole Force Approach to develop guidance that will promote affordable, effective and sustainable employment of the Engineer Branch & Trades.

• We will review the rank ratios within the Branch and Trades to ensure that a balance is struck between recognition of responsibility and regulatory requirements but also the need for balanced and sustainable promotion flows.

• We will review NEM guidelines for tour lengths and provide detailed written guidance to career managers.

• We will review officer Foundation Tour policy and phase 2 training to ensure that our junior officers’ competency growth is best aligned to future employment requirements.

• We will ensure that WF planning considers the requirement or justification for employment in so-called depth appointments; we will seek more targeted and actively managed employment patterns, to ensure we optimize skills transfer and remain able to operate to the limit of Defence planning assumptions

Influence Lanes - Key Points to be addressedThe Key points that will be addressed within each Influence Lane are shown below. The list is not exhaustive and will change over time, both as we make progress and as we continually

adapt the Engineer Branch and Trades so that they remain ‘fit’ to deliver the challenges of the day and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.


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develop• We will develop career paths and a competency framework so that Engineer Officers are able to build the appropriate SQEP for future employment, whilst also enabling broader employment opportunities, which will equip them for holding key Influence posts.

• We will review the roles and boundaries of our multi-skilled engineering trades, examining the breadth of responsibilities and the importance of specialist expertise, to ensure they remain able to deliver effective and responsive Defence output.

• We will determine the most appropriate balance of through-career professional development to ensure that training interventions deliver the required qualifications and skills for each role and at each rank.

• We will further mature our engagement with Professional Engineering Institutions in order to enhance the numbers of engineers across the rank spectrum attaining an appropriate level of Professional Registration.

• We will consider fully our increased reliance on information networks and systems across all of the engineering disciplines in order to make adjustments to training through either general up-skilling or specific trade group employment.

• We will seek to align civil/military engineering qualifications, wherever possible, in order to improve the effectiveness of Whole Force support solutions.

• We will pursue the introduction of a competency framework and timely training interventions in order to enhance SQEP development whilst also enabling broader employment opportunities.

• Linked to the bullet above, we will develop career paths within employment fields to ensure that Engineer Officers will be equipped with the appropriate skills and experience to undertake key Influence posts.

Retain• We will regularly review the reasons for engineers and technicians deciding to leave the Service in order to develop targeted measures to aid retention.

• We will engage with our sister Services and tri-service policy staffs in order to gain pan-Defence support, where appropriate, for the introduction of a range of recognition measures for our engineer officers and technicians.

• We will consider the benefits of a more structured approach to mentoring across the rank spectrum in order to further recognise the value we place on our people and hence promote the individual sense of worth, whilst also maximizing the realisation of realistic potential.

Keeping you InformedAs articulated in the Foreword, this Engineer Branch and Trade Strategy provides the backdrop to inform thinking and the hooks to direct the development of detailed plans, in order that we can optimise our contribution to the RAF and wider Defence outputs, coherently and sustainably over the coming years. As such it is a living document that will need to be refreshed on a regular basis, as a minimum once every two years to reflect progress made and changes required as we test and adjust our direction of travel.

The Influence Lane Implementation Plans will contain the detailed plans that will be required to bring the Engineer Branch and Trade Strategy to life and hence the impact that delivering the Strategy will have on each and everyone of us.

It is likely that each Influence Lane Implementation Plan will have a number of sub-plans and that at any given time the sub plans will be at various stages of maturity. Regardless, it is important that you are able to see these plans at the earliest opportunity so that you can keep abreast of what is going on and offer your thoughts and observations on what is being suggested and/or delivered.

We will use EBTS Intranet Page to publish the various Implementation Plans, associated sub-plans and provide you the opportunity to provide any feedback you may have on the plans as we collectively strive, at every level to play our part in delivering the RAF Branch and Trades End State.

End State A sustainable professionally qualified and agile Engineer Branch and Trades that fully embrace the Whole Force Approach - Regular, Reservists, Civil Servants and Contractors - and that is appropriately structured, competent, skilled and correctly trained to the right level at the time in order to allow the RAF to deliver its outputs in support of wider Defence outputs.

Recruit cont.• We will look to develop reservist employment opportunities that target high-SQEP Service leavers in order to harness relevant experience to undertake ad-hoc projects and tasks, consultancy and part-time commitments.

• We will examine the feasibility of recruiting appropriately qualified engineers from industry at a more senior level in order to fulfil niche appointments.

http://defenceintranet.diif.r.mil.uk/Organisations/Orgs/RAF/Organisations/Orgs/HQAirCommand/Pages/EBTS.aspx

Whole Force in Action: A glimpse at the Future

The effective operation of our highly capable 4th and 5th generation Combat ISTAR platforms is critically dependent on connectivity to an information rich environment. Operational tempo can only take place once Delegated Release to Service Authorisation has been granted. This is underpinned by a myriad of both on-board and ground-based information systems, servers and networks. Inevitably that will mean front line Sqns will see a broader mix of contractors and other Trades working in symmetry to deliver, install and maintain configuration control and integrity of the airworthiness and mission data. In addition, future consideration will have to be made to supporting operations at sea following the delivery of the Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier fleet.

The F35 Lightning II can exemplify the reliance on CIS to assure the delivery of both a kinetic effect and exploitation of ISTAR information. The platform will be reliant on key enablers to provide assured access to the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and Off-Board Mission Planning System (OMS). A whole force mix comprising TG1, TG4, Royal Navy counterpart and Lockheed Martin Contractors will be required to deploy with the servers and other network equipment to set up DOBs to support incoming Lightning II aircraft. Connectivity and information flows to the DOB

are facilitated by access to the wide area and local networks enabled by A6 FE@R, providing access to the official, secret and mission specific information sources. DOBs will be supported by pan A4 FE@R who will be comprised of both Regular and Reserve personnel.

Deployed Lightning II operators will plan missions from inside Secure Access Programme Facilities, taking Air C2 and Intelligence feeds from a multitude of systems and sources. Assured information flows are at the forefront of ensuring that the ATO, ACO, Geo-Int, EW and, meteorological data is available at the right time, in the right format and in the right place to enable planning for the next mission and for upload onto the Pilots Data Store (PDS).

On the operating dispersal, CIS aware Engineers and Technicians will maintain and flight-service the aircraft, load weapons and administer on-board CIS, then record their activity on the Portable Maintenance Aid ready for synchronisation with the ALIS Squadron Operating Unit (SOU). The ALIS SOU holds previous flight information, airframe hours, fatigue indexes, weapon expenditures and fuel states, which are relayed back via satellite links to the UK National Operations Centre (NOC) at the MOB.


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End State A sustainable professionally qualified and agile Engineer Branch and Trades that fully embrace the Whole Force Approach - Regular, Reservists, Civil Servants and Contractors - and that is appropriately structured, competent, skilled and correctly trained to the right level at the right time in order to allow the RAF to deliver its outputs in support of wider Defence outputs.


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RAF Engineer Branch & Trades Strategy 2014

Documents

Transcript of RAF Engineer Branch & Trades Strategy 2014