The Militia is for Seventeen Year Old Losers (or will be)

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Posted by Michael A. Dorosh from Calgary AB Canada on December 21, 2020 at 12:31:16:

I've been in the Militia now for 11 years, and I would like to know what people think of the direction trades training/"career" progression is taking. When my Regiment's Pipe Band was cut as a funded unit, my buddies and I willingly accepted remusters, and I was quite happy to face a new challenge. My buddy, who had qualified as a TQ1 (read QL3) infantryman and a TQ2 piper, now opted for weapons tech. He has taken gunsmithing classes on civvy street. Well, he was told he had to take EME common (on weekends) and he did, but was further told that he had to take a 13 week Regular Force course at Borden to requalify, or he would be punted. This is a 12 year Master Corporal who consistently paraded, had good job knowledge in his trade already, and was doing some OJT at the local Svc Bn.

I opted for Fin Clk, and after passing on one summer course due to civilian employment and being cancelled on for the next one (I passed up a promotion at my civvy job to go), I am now informed that the amalgamation of the clerk trades mean I may not have a course to go on - and no one can say for sure how long the course is when they finally decide to run it.

My point here, is whatever happened to OJT training? Or weekend courses? I mean, if we had legislation in place to protect our civvy jobs like the Yanks do, my buddy could take 13 weeks off. But is it really necessary, if trained NCOs already exist in those trades? What is the Militia for, if not for training?? It seems like we are getting to the point that the Reserves are for the chronically unemployed (or unemployable) and teenaged school kids. Maybe I'm just bitter, but does this make sense to anyone else?

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