A drive by the RFCA for Yorkshire and the Humber to recruit more volunteers for the Army Cadet Force (ACF) is delivering results.
But, says RFCA cadet administrative assistant Andy Marshall, pictured, recruitment is a collaboration between the RFCA and existing ACF volunteers.
“It’s very much a collaborative effort,” said the RFCA’s Andy Marshall.
“And in many ways people like myself who work full-time for the RFCA as well as being long-standing cadet force adult volunteers show just how closely the collaboration can be.”
Supporting the Army cadets
The RFCA has14 staff working out of Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF’s Driffield headquarters and a further 13 working out of Yorkshire (North and West) ACF’s Strensall headquarters. They play a driving role in recruiting new volunteers into post by identifying potential recruits, managing the legal paperwork and carrying out inductions including safeguarding training.
Then it’s the role of the existing cadet force adult volunteers to teach the new arrivals the basics of the job.
Andy, who is a captain in the Army Cadet Force, is pictured with six potential recruits as well as several existing adult volunteers with Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF who are helping with their training.
So far this year, the RFCA has recruited 28 potential recruits for the Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF and a further 23 for Yorkshire (North and West) ACF.
Recruiting for the Army Cadet Force
“Our cadet force adult volunteers are the beating heart of the cadet movement,” said the RFCA’s deputy chief executive Wayne Pledger.
“However, whereas we support all cadet forces, we have an organisational responsibility as the RFCA to lead on recruitment for the Army Cadet Force.
“Our executive officers in each of the county headquarters head teams that are run the initial stages of the recruitment process while the ACF volunteers lead on the training”
Across the region, the ACF has some 437 cadet force adult volunteers – more than 200 in Humberside and South Yorkshire and 237 in Yorkshire (North and West).