RAF P2 Specialist Training - People Operations Officer

Hi, Can anyone confirm What the Specialist Training is for People Operations Officer? I thought it was 3 weeks Remote learning from Worthy Down. Worthing towards a People Operations Foundation Course. If anyone is able to confirm the information or guide me towards a resource where I can find out about the course and modules, I'd be most grateful. I have reached out to my recruitment office, but I'm not getting a response.

The RAF careers page for the aptly named POO states that your professional training is at Worthy Down and is a mix of remote and residential learning. I always worked on the basis that for any role based training you would be told in advance what you were expected to know and the actual details when you started the course. I used to be an aircrew OCU instructor and the students didn’t need to know, and wouldn’t be encumbered with, the full breakdown of the 6 month course before they started . But Day 1 Lesson 1 was the general outline of the course. If your query relates to gaining P2 information for interview purposes, then I would hope that the RAF would provide you with all the required material to prove that you understand the general journey to graduating in role. I doubt they expect you to know the day to day content of the course. The whole point is that you are given foundation training and then allowed to practice in a safe , simulated environment where the only harm you can do is to your ego!

During officer training many years ago we had a module on administrative stuff and were then let loose in an office simulator and given titles like OC Admin. You never knew what was coming when you sat at a desk and there was a knock on the door. I got an ‘irate farmer’ wanting to know about compensation for his prize cow Daisy who had lost her calf after a low flying jet had ‘attacked’ the field she was in. I’m not sure I displayed the right amount of empathy as I was trying to stifle my laughter at the outrageous rural accent of the farmer, being played by one of the flight commanders 🤣. But I did have to do welfare interviews in real life, including trying to sort out a guy who had split from his wife. Fortunately, by that point, I had honed my empathic skills and was able to provide (I hope) suitable support and guidance.

Anyway if you’re really desperate to drill down into the POFCO course you could always contact DSLA at Worthy Down (Twitter below) or alternatively, reach out to current Officers in that role. There’s at least one who is happy to tell the world what he/she does on LinkedIn.

https://twitter.com/DSLAWorthy_Down

Thank you for your reply. I ask because I failed my interview and the feedback stated that my understanding was completely inaccurate and lacked detail on course content.

I’ve since learnt that my answer wasn’t accurate. My understanding is partially correct, in that my specialist training is actually 5 weeks, which includes the 3 week POFCO which is remote from Worthy Down.

I appreciate the detail in your response, and I’m grateful to you for sharing your experience. It’s always nice to hear about other people’s experiences. I think I’ll reach out to Worthy Down as no further detail is provided and at least, should the question arise again, I can state that efforts were made.

many thanks

Hi, really sorry to hear about your interview disappointment, but it’s good that you want to take the feedback on board and try again. Was this setback at the AFCO or OASC? I’m long since out of the RAF but retain an interest and have many friends still serving. At least one was taking part in the Coronation mini flypast and several were scrubbed despite being airborne and in the hold.

Sadly I can’t provide much practical advice other than to make the effort to speak to serving officers in your desired branch. Once upon a time professional training courses (P2) were almost set in concrete with few changes for years but there have been so many reorganisations and reforms in the last few years that it’s difficult (if not impossible) to keep up with the current syllabus (syllabi?) for most branches. When I was going through selection ( mid 70s) the only information resources we had were a glossy brochure from OASC outlining the process and a branch specific brochure from the Careers office (on most High Streets) outlining the training path, career structure post graduation and a generic summary of the typical life of a branch officer. The OASC interview (45 mins +/- 5 secs 🤣) was 50% on you, your history and leadership attributes and 50% your knowledge of the role, current affairs and motivation. That structure didn’t change for decades and you could prepare for it for as much or as little as you wanted. Unfortunately that structure is long gone and I’m aware that the format is much reduced but I couldn’t tell you what they ask anymore.

Very best of luck with your next attempt and I’m sure you’ll ace it. The very fact that you’re still interested is a plus and will go in your favour! I knew a guy who attended OASC 5 times before they eventually gave in and accepted him for officer training. Last I heard he made Wing Commander. 😎