Syllabus

Here at 1476 Sqn, we have many qualifications that you can recieve – given in the form of badges. We call it the Progressive Training Syllabus (PTS). Please find below a brief explanation of each.

Radio and Cyber: Radio/Cyber training is provided by qualified RAFAC and/or RAF personnel. Radio training is practical and theoretical e.g. understanding the formation of radio networks and how to send radio messages on a RAFAC network. Cyber is a growing field in daily life which is why we have adapted to include it in our syllabus, taught in conjunction with external agencies (iDEA and OpenLearn), mainly covering cybersecurity and cyber skills.

First Aid: First Aid is a very important life skill, which is why we teach it as one of our core subjects – with many new cadets recieving it as their first qualification. It is taught in 4 levels – Essential, Youth, Activity and Instructor. Each comes with new sections which makes them more valuable than the previous.

Music: In the RAFAC, we take music to be of high importance. Every Wing and Region has a band, and the Air Cadets have a national band as well. There are 4 different badges available to cadets – Crossed Trumpets (Trumpet), Lyre (Instrumentalist), Drum (Drummer) and Pipes (Piper), each with 4 levels (Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold). Blue is for Squadron band, Bronze for Wing, Silver for Region and Gold for National. As you can see, there are many opportunities to display your musical talent in the RAFAC!

Gliding and Flying: In the RAFAC, you will have an oppportunity to fly a glider or powered aircraft (or both if you’re lucky!) at some point within your time as a cadet. When you do, you will be provided with wings that are to be worn in a similar fashion to RAF wings on your uniform. There are 4 levels of wings, similar to other badges, which represent how much experience you have on the aircraft that you have flown.

Leadership: As a cadet, you will have an opportunity to improve your leadership skills with leadership courses. These are aimed to boost your confidence leading fellow cadets and prepare you for potential NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) roles in your time as a cadet.

DofE: DofE badges are awarded based on the DofE criteria, which you can find out more about on our DofE page and on the DofE website: https://www.dofe.org/

Road Marching: Road Marching is a great way to improve stamina with badges being awarded based on the distance of your march, starting at 15km and rising to 80km.

Shooting: Shooting is a very important part of the RAFAC. We shoot 4 different rifles, ranging from Air Rifle to Target Rifle, and many competitions are held around the country for cadet shooting. There are 4 different levels of marksman badges, awarded as you progress through the Cadet Live Firing Syllabus sections.

Classification Training: The classifications provide a progressive syllabus of training for cadets. Cadets will go through a series of modules, from learning the basics of drill and radio, through to understanding rocketry and jet propulsion.

Instructional Qualifications: There are three instructional course lanyards in the RAFAC – Method of Instruction (MOI), Qualified Aerospace Instructor (QAIC) and Junior Leader (JL). MOI teaches cadets how to deliver lessons to others, which is a valuable skill to have not only in cadets, but in other areas of life as well. QAIC teaches cadets to deliver lessons in aerospace-based subjects (e.g. simulator use) and takes priority over MOI. JL is a demanding course that aims to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of senior cadets to enable them to become effective leaders, develop life skills and encourage self-reliance, decision making skills and mental robustness through challenging leadership problems.