Guest Editorial: Col Mike Bullard

Colonel Mike Bullard MBE, AH CSS APC

Changes to REME Career Management and Top Tips on How to Get the Best from Your Career

Now back in Glasgow and in my last job as Colonel Career Management (CM) of the CSS Branch, overseeing CM for all REME and RLC Officers and Soldiers, I want to take this opportunity to provide a rapid update on how we are managing careers in the REME CM Branch and provide some focused insight on opportunities to carve out the best career for yourself.

I will start by highlighting recent changes to how business is being done by the APC, not because of COVID (although it has been a great catalyst) but, because we absolutely recognise the need to keep pace in the digital age and to provide an efficient and professional service. I will also touch on the Army’s People Change Programme CASTLE - and the impact we can expect to see in the coming years and I will finish with some important career top tips from a Desk Officer perspective.

First, I think it’s worth reminding you of what we do in the REME CM Branch. The principal CM functions are to Manage, Assign and Advise all REME Officers and Soldiers. By dint of this we conduct and assure Appraisals, Promotions, Assignments, Terms of Service and End of Service action. Whilst this sounds process heavy, everything we do impacts on Soldiers and their families, employers and delivers operational output. So, it is both a fascinating and rewarding place to work, supported by a team of dedicated and talented civilian and military staff. If you ever get the opportunity, please come and pay a visit – it is well worth it. At this stage it is also worth highlighting that there is a difference in the level of service provided across the Branch; on average between 500-800 REME Soldiers are served by a single Desk Officer, whereas for Officers it is around 200. Inevitably, this means that particularly our junior Soldiers are not afforded quite the same amount of time as given to others. We mitigated this by having the chain of command and RCMOs to help provide excellent distributed career advice. This works, but we still recognise that there is a disparity and we aim to address this in the near future as we deliver enhanced career management to all.

Changes to Career Management

There have been many changes over the past 12 months resulting from direction to work from home. Like many, the staff have had to adopt new ways of working to deliver the same outputs:

E-Boarding

Since March 2020, all REME Boards (grading, employment and assignment) have been conducted remotely, still in accordance with regulation, but with Board members communicating from their distributed locations. This has had its challenges, not least the need to digitise all Board evidence, but has demonstrated there is no longer the need for hardcopy AR Books or P/Files. This development has fundamentally changed how business is done by the APC, offering greater flexibility, transparency and significant efficiencies. Of note is the development of the Career Management Portal software application, which digitally replicates and automates the boarding processes (Pre-Board filtering, Access to ARs and Manning Profile Sheets, Scoring, Line Drawing and publishing Board Results by Trade/ YoS/ EED). As at January this year over 500 grading Boards have successfully been carried out using this application. Initial calculations confirm that the time spent by staff preparing, conducting and publishing Boards is less than half that previously required. The aim is for this saving to be reinvested into providing ‘broader and deeper’ career management to all and in so doing also help close the gap between the service provided to our Officers and Soldiers.

Whilst the Career Management Portal Grading App is now Business as Usual for the APC, generating savings in time, paper and space, the next phase is the delivery of the Appointing App which also gives the option for formal Appointment Boards to be conducted remotely and electronically. Also running in parallel has been the development of the MyCareer App which aims to be delivered after Easter and will allow all service personnel to actively manage their careers via their personal iphones/PEDs. The MyCareer App has the potential to be a real game changer as it will really empower users and allow them to: • See a full list of appointments/posts in their current rank and trade and one rank up at Regimental Duty, E1 and E2. • • Submit PPPs. See their service details i.e Engagement Type, Current Assignment,

Future Availability Date, Rank. • See all their SJARs and OJARs.

Know whether they are eligible for promotion and if not why, i.e. which eligibility criteria they do not meet, time in rank (seniority), trade qualification or education, i.e. ALDP (CLM).

Communications

The REME CM Branch recognise that there is a real thirst for accurate and timely career information and so great effort has gone into

optimising social media and wider communications channels to provide an all-informed REME net, which has timely, relevant and transparent information. Recent initiatives delivered by the REME CM Branch and the APC, include: • REME Facebook. REME Soldier Wing has introduced a dedicated

Communications Manager post to create and manage the REME

Career Management Facebook group. This connects the whole of the REME community and pushes information direct to REME

Soldiers, helping individuals to better understand and shape their own careers. There has been great success with the new vlogs that explain how to complete a PPP, the FCR process and how the

Promotion, Assignment and Employability Boards work. These are excellent and really worth a watch. • Posting Preference Proforma (PPP). REME Soldier Wing has also introduced an interactive Power BI Jobs List and has revamped the

PPP into a new PDF format, which enables Soldiers to have greater involvement and focussed engagement in their own careers. • Field Force Input. The REME CM Branch has always encouraged the CoC to come and observe Grading Boards. REME Soldier Wing has now also formalised Field Force representation at all Soldier

Assignment Boards. This ensures relevant military input to help better inform decisions, resulting in better outcomes for all. • Defence Connect. The APC is exploiting Defence Connect to maximise its reach. MS Web is now replicated on Defence Connect, which publishes all jobs and boarding results, thus allowing access for all service personnel who don’t have access to MODNET. Of note is the ability to set Alerts, which ensures that you are informed when any REME announcements are published. • APC Career Management Update. Have a look at APC Career

Management Update on Defence Connect. It is an excellent onestop-shop that has all the relevant People Policy updates and amendments to JSPs, ABN, DINs and AGAIs and is an easy way to keep up to speed on all career matters. • APC WEBINARS. Webinars are now used as an effective tool to provide Career Management Central Briefings, which can advise and assist service personnel and help better engage with different communities. These are well received and help provide a regular drum beat of information to the Field Force.

Programme CASTLE is the Army’s People Change Programme that aims over the coming years to deliver a series of integrated projects that enhance the career management of Army personnel. Programme CASTLE provides excellent regular updates through its online Newsletters. Some of the key projects include:

Programme CASTLE

Through Life Career Management

Whilst Formal Career Reviews continue, the aim here is to provide ‘Through Life Career Management’ which will be a subtle shift away from episodic engagement to a more coherent, consistent and incrementally reinforcing series of routine conversations between service personnel and their Career Manager, with the CoC engaged appropriately such as to enhance the relationship between the CM triumvirate (Service Personnel, CoC and CM). This could look like: • • • • More regular career advice (both formal and informal). Conducted at the right time (by the right person). Recorded and agreed through CM Portal. Service Personnel have more access to their career profile through

CM Portal.

Senior Soldier Assessment Board

This is a refinement to the application and selection process for all Arms and Services Late Entry (LE) and Senior Soldier Entry (Devolved) (SSE (D)) commissions by implementing a single and common Senior Soldier Assessment Board (SSAB) for all candidates. The detail of the process is contained in DIN 2021DIN01-001(Jan 21) this is being delivered this year.

Single Officer Terms of Service

less PQOs, and is expected to comprise of: • • Single TOS for all Officers commissioning from 2023. Extended EED LOS Reg C to those boarded for conversion of commission to Reg C from 2023. • Common BeL in 2023 and PL in 2024 for those who transfer to single TOS. • Changes to ICSC(L) capacity from 2027/28 if all OF3 are to attend.

Army Talent Framework

The aim behind this project is to provide a common language of skills and proficiency that will enable service personnel to clearly understand the skills they need in their career, as well as the skills they already have. It will help line managers and CoC to better support the development of their people and for career managers to find the right jobs for them. The common language is to be competency based, defining the Knowledge, Application of Skill, Experience and Behaviours (KSE-B) needed to develop one’s career. This is a significant piece of work and is fundamental to delivering enhanced career management.

Everyone has a view on what’s best for your career, but below are some common and enduring tips that apply to both REME Officers and Soldiers. It’s worth taking some time to think how you can best apply them: • Get involved in your career. Take an interest, ask questions and look further ahead than just the next rank. The MyCareer App will

support you in this.

•Make sure your JPA Profile is accurate. Data accuracy is fundamental to making good career decisions and presenting you with opportunities. Again, the MyCareer App will support you in this. • Shape your SJAR/OJAR – near, middle and far. Have a five-year plan. Know when you are due assignment, what jobs/options are available, and where you see your career going, then communicate your plan with your CoC. • Look back at previous boards to understand what might be available – looking two or three years back for an upcoming Board.

Look at Promotion Board results to see who has been selected, as their job will now need filling and look out for ‘no selections’ from the previous board. • Understand your career stream/CEG and know what you need to do to get the best out of your chosen career - make sure you have joined the REME Career Management Facebook group.

The vlogs are a must watch! • Promotion is based on potential, so understand the responsibilities and traits of the next rank up and what a

Promotion Board looks for in our leaders. You should engage with your 1RO to seek suitable objectives and opportunities to help develop that recommendation. • Selection for Artificer is competitive; just because you have passed a PAB doesn’t mean you will be selected for Artificer training by the ACSLB, so work hard at developing opportunities to show your qualities. • Stand Out. If you are doing something good, make sure your 1RO and 2RO know about it. • Be realistic and manage your own expectations. Not everyone can be top third. • Please remember the REME Branch of APC is there to help. They represent your needs and will do their very best for you but sometimes the ‘Needs of the Service’ come first. • Connect. If and when you can, get up to Glasgow and/or connect with your Desk Officer.

I hope this article provides a useful update. However things move fast and there will be further developments by the time this is published. So keep connected with the REME CM Branch and get to know your Desk Officer. We want to provide you with the best service we possibly can.

Thank you and Arte et Marte.