Good News!
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Good News!
At least one Service is being proactive in Lifelong Learning....
http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullsto...filter=general
The Open University launches two foundation degrees for RAF Personnelhttp://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullsto...filter=general
Studying is about to become a lot easier for RAF personnel faced with challenging lifestyles due to remote postings or operational deployments.
The RAF Foundation Degree Consortium, a unique partnership of four universities and the RAF with support from Foundation Degree Forward, will launch two foundation degrees on 25 January at RAF Scampton. Without interrupting their careers, students can opt for a foundation degree in business or leadership and management presented by The Open University, Staffordshire University, the University of Chester and the University of Derby.
“We are very excited about launching this opportunity for our staff to obtain a university qualification. Not only will the degrees develop knowledge, understanding and skills directly relevant to an RAF career, but they are also transferable to civilian employment when staff finally leave the Service,” Squadron Leader David Freak, RAF accreditation staff officer, commented.
Both degrees offer flexible starting dates, complemented by a range of learning styles to meet the learner’s preference. Students can gain credits for work experience and can select modules from any member of the consortium to ‘build’ the degree.
RAF Corporal Chris Hull from the Air Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire chose The Open University for his leadership and management degree. He said: “The Open University has allowed me to credit previous courses, so my efforts were not in vain! I have always been keen to put my long Service experience and hard-earned knowledge to good use. The degree fulfils this need and also supports my role as a mentor. The work-based bias has even benefited my office role!”
Editors' Notes
Journalists wishing to attend the launch event should contact Flight Lieutenant Jonathan Greenald on 01452 712612 ext 5505 or at [email protected]
Foundation degrees are employer-led vocational qualifications. They integrate workplace competence into academic attainment and are equivalent to the first two years of an honours degree. The partnership between the RAF and the four universities equip learners with the knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the RAF. It further provides an ideal progression from qualifications such as apprenticeships and NVQs.
The RAF Foundation Degree Consortium, a unique partnership of four universities and the RAF with support from Foundation Degree Forward, will launch two foundation degrees on 25 January at RAF Scampton. Without interrupting their careers, students can opt for a foundation degree in business or leadership and management presented by The Open University, Staffordshire University, the University of Chester and the University of Derby.
“We are very excited about launching this opportunity for our staff to obtain a university qualification. Not only will the degrees develop knowledge, understanding and skills directly relevant to an RAF career, but they are also transferable to civilian employment when staff finally leave the Service,” Squadron Leader David Freak, RAF accreditation staff officer, commented.
Both degrees offer flexible starting dates, complemented by a range of learning styles to meet the learner’s preference. Students can gain credits for work experience and can select modules from any member of the consortium to ‘build’ the degree.
RAF Corporal Chris Hull from the Air Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire chose The Open University for his leadership and management degree. He said: “The Open University has allowed me to credit previous courses, so my efforts were not in vain! I have always been keen to put my long Service experience and hard-earned knowledge to good use. The degree fulfils this need and also supports my role as a mentor. The work-based bias has even benefited my office role!”
Editors' Notes
Journalists wishing to attend the launch event should contact Flight Lieutenant Jonathan Greenald on 01452 712612 ext 5505 or at [email protected]
Foundation degrees are employer-led vocational qualifications. They integrate workplace competence into academic attainment and are equivalent to the first two years of an honours degree. The partnership between the RAF and the four universities equip learners with the knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the RAF. It further provides an ideal progression from qualifications such as apprenticeships and NVQs.
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There is also a tie up between Tesco and the Open University that will be announced shortly allowing people to spend clubcard points on study with the OU. I think it's something like £2.50 of points equates to £10 of study vouchers, that may be wrong I only skim read it the other day.
WTF
"a foundation degree in business or leadership and management "
So not really a degree in anything useful then.
Why would anyone "study" this?
"RAF Corporal Chris Hull from the Air Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire chose The Open University for his leadership and management degree. He said: “The Open University has allowed me to credit previous courses, so my efforts were not in vain! I have always been keen to put my long Service experience and hard-earned knowledge to good use."
This is up there with those NVQs that you get for keeping a scrapbook of courses attended etc and encourage people to claim that its equivalent to a degree!
Pointless
"a foundation degree in business or leadership and management "
So not really a degree in anything useful then.
Why would anyone "study" this?
"RAF Corporal Chris Hull from the Air Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire chose The Open University for his leadership and management degree. He said: “The Open University has allowed me to credit previous courses, so my efforts were not in vain! I have always been keen to put my long Service experience and hard-earned knowledge to good use."
This is up there with those NVQs that you get for keeping a scrapbook of courses attended etc and encourage people to claim that its equivalent to a degree!
Pointless
Presumably if you read the paper and watch TV for 15 years, you can apply for an 'OU degree' in 'media studies'?
Pointless.......
Pointless.......
But the RAF has been controlled by people without leadership or management skills for years...why change now?
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Cynical buggers, the lot of you! If nothing else this is a move in the right direction, surely? The ability to convert your previous learning into an internationally recognised qualification which might actually do you some good in the outside world has to be a plus point. The other bonus is that you may be able to use the credits from the Foundation degree to convert to another degree, depending on what units have been involved, and what degree you are after.
Gentleman Aviator
And there are other advantages.....
I've been an OU stude on and off for getting on for 10 years. Last year, after many years negotiation, OU got agreement from NUS that OU students could have "Student Cards", which previously had been restricted to full-time studes.
Costs £10 a year and the discounts are amazing (10% at W*t*rst*n*s, so everyone got books for Christmas!) ..... even better are the looks when portly middle-aged pilot flashes the card and asks "student discount??" That alone is worth the tenner!
And seriously, there are lots of "credits" available for service courses, which can be put towards almost any degree. See here for the RAF courses that qualify.
I've been an OU stude on and off for getting on for 10 years. Last year, after many years negotiation, OU got agreement from NUS that OU students could have "Student Cards", which previously had been restricted to full-time studes.
Costs £10 a year and the discounts are amazing (10% at W*t*rst*n*s, so everyone got books for Christmas!) ..... even better are the looks when portly middle-aged pilot flashes the card and asks "student discount??" That alone is worth the tenner!
And seriously, there are lots of "credits" available for service courses, which can be put towards almost any degree. See here for the RAF courses that qualify.
[QUOTE=PompeySailor;3102273 students can opt for a foundation degree in business [/QUOTE]
Oh God! Now we are encouraging more personnel to learn CIVILIAN business practices!
That means we can introduce more "best practice" usually years behind industry and just as they ditch the latest management practice as a failure.
I give you "Matrix Management". Recently introduced at a secret CHQ near High Wycombe to the extent that nobody now knows who they are actually working for; the defined chain of command has been blurred so as to be almost indistinguishable. Strangely latest MBA teaching is that matrix management doesn't work because nobody has clearly defined chains of command!!
When will we learn that there is infact military best practice as well (obviously not in procurement) and that we have been at it for longer than most civilian companies have existed!!
Oh God! Now we are encouraging more personnel to learn CIVILIAN business practices!
That means we can introduce more "best practice" usually years behind industry and just as they ditch the latest management practice as a failure. I give you "Matrix Management". Recently introduced at a secret CHQ near High Wycombe to the extent that nobody now knows who they are actually working for; the defined chain of command has been blurred so as to be almost indistinguishable. Strangely latest MBA teaching is that matrix management doesn't work because nobody has clearly defined chains of command!!
When will we learn that there is infact military best practice as well (obviously not in procurement) and that we have been at it for longer than most civilian companies have existed!!
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Granted, it would ne nice to leave the civilian management techniques at the main gate, but unfortunately there is very little choice. With so much of the basic work being contracted out, civilianised, partnershipped, etc, the best practice, , benchmarked, EFQM, IIP led management teams, the Forces have to keep pace.
It would, however, be nice to be kept at the forefront of the changes, and you would have thought that the orificers doing their "career break" MBAs at the moment would be the best point of contact for informing the policy makers.....
It would, however, be nice to be kept at the forefront of the changes, and you would have thought that the orificers doing their "career break" MBAs at the moment would be the best point of contact for informing the policy makers.....
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City and Guilds
On a similar note: There is a scheme to get LCGI,GCGI and MCGI awards (in management) from the above. They are vocational and equate to Foundation, Honours and Masters status (you can also use the post-nominal’s). They cost from £50 to £90 depending on your status but LE blokes watch out - you will be disadvantaged if you were silly enough to be commissioned before being WO/WO1 for 2 years and will have to serve 9 years extra to be eligible.
The info can be found in DINs but for a 2 page CV and some beans, your CV will look pretty good. Open to SNCOs and Officers.
The info can be found in DINs but for a 2 page CV and some beans, your CV will look pretty good. Open to SNCOs and Officers.
