Cerberus reviews training schools

A trainee at the School of Survivability and Ship’s Safety assesses his options in the damage control unit. Photo by ABPH Gavin Hainsworth.

Trainees learn the skills of signalling via flashing light at Defence School of Signals, Maritime Wing, Cerberus

Sempaphore training on the flag deck at Defence School of Signals, Maritime Wing, Cerberus.

LSBM Carruthers demonstrates splicing to a member of the latest Basic BM class.

Trainees learn the basic rules of shoring in the Damage Control unit at SSSS.

Preparing for survivability lessons at the Seamanship School.

By LSCISSM Rachel Irving
Sweeping changes have been made recently to the way Navy undergoes category training.

A tiered series of coloured epaulettes and lanyards, compulsory team sport, after-hours defence periods and an en-masse induction to category school are just some of the changes introduced through the Category School Review (CSR).

The implementation of these recommendations is known as the Category School Enhancement Program (CSEP).
The CSR commenced in September 2001 as an extension to the Recruit School training review, Sea Eagle IV. Eighteen months into the CSEP, positive changes are evident.
When recruits graduate from Recruit School on the Friday, they no longer move into the category school blocks over the weekend.
Instead, on Monday they move en-masse to an induction led by HMAS Cerberus’ Commanding Officer CAPT Clint Thomas and XO CMDR Warren Bairstow.
Later in the day they all move into Nine Block where they live together in double cabins for the next four weeks, regardless of rate. The exception to this is the females who all live in Ten Block.
For this four-week period, the trainees wear red epaulettes and a red lanyard for their ID tag and are known as Tier Ones.
A Tier One trainee stands rounds on Tuesdays and Thursdays and keeps one in four duties. They have no mid-week leave, they remain in uniform at all times, have limited cabin luxuries and are restricted to team sports. There is a beer issue at Club Cerberus Monday to Thursday.
After the end of week four, trainees are reviewed for progression to Tier Two.
Tier Two trainees wear green epaulettes and a green lanyard for their ID and remain on this level (unless demoted to red for behavioural reasons) for five to 12 weeks.
They have midweek leave but have to be back onboard at 2359, they stand rounds on Tuesdays and Thursdays, keep duties less than Tier One but more than Tier Three trainees, have access to social venues such as the Anchorage Club and remain in uniform during normal working hours.
Tier Two trainees still live in shared cabins but most will move out of Nine Block into other blocks of mixed ratings. Females remain in Ten Block.
The third level is blue level for the Tier Three’s who are there for 13 weeks or more. They stand rounds on Tuesdays but Thursday rounds are at the discretion of TA-Log, HOF or OIC. Duties are more than Cerberus ABs but less than Tier Twos.
They, like the other trainees, live in shared cabins and wear blue epaulettes and lanyards. They have nil leave restrictions.
Trainees can be demoted in tiers and if taken back to red, are required to move back to Nine Block. The demotion lasts one month and is then reviewed.
Navy News spoke with CO Cerberus CAPT Thomas who is very pleased with the way the CSEP is progressing.
He said, “Changes such as the tiered system have been a series of building blocks, so that when trainees leave here they are actually enthused about everything and the reasons why they joined have been confirmed.
“They’re eager to get to the next step. My perception is that 18 months ago that was not the case.”
CAPT Thomas’ CSR implementation team have also introduced Defence training periods on Tuesday afternoons.
These periods, aligned with the duty watch system, see trainees go to different schools, such as SSSS and do whole of ship training.
For example one week might see them conducting fire fighting at SSSS and the next learning the colours and sunset routine at the Defence School of Signals Maritime Wing.
Another initiative of the CSEP is the introduction of ‘rites of passage’. Towards the end of category training, each trainee will undergo a category-specific rite of passage in the form of an ORE and incorporating whole ship responsibilities such as damage control and fire fighting.
“When the trainees are leaving Recruit School they are fired up

and keen to learn. The rites of passage have been introduced so that there is something to aim for, a culmination,” said CAPT Thomas.
“Everyone has to earn their way through category training now, they don’t just fall through the system. We’ve raised the bar for Recruit School and now we’re doing it for the rest of Cerberus.”
CAPT Thomas said it was important to move away from what he describes as a ‘TAFE mentality’.
“Cerberus is not about turning up, passing a few tests and moving on. There’s nothing further than from what we’re trying to achieve.
“Trainees have in the past been leaving here after up to 18 months in a single cabin with a TAFE mentality and go to their ships and establishments and finding out the Navy is not like that. We’re then left with a mismatch between what their expectation is and what reality is.
“We’ve got a fair way to go but we’ve made some deep gains and some huge steps forward.”
The other big focus for Cerberus at the moment is the instructors, with all Category School instructors required to complete training and induction courses.
This one-day course helps them understand what Cerberus expects of them in terms of leadership and arms them with the tools they might need for handling a variety of situations.
CAPT Thomas said, “I don’t think they have been a target for improvement before. It’s about setting the expectations for influences. I think we’ve just expected that because someone is a particular rank, that they will automatically know what they are doing. I don’t think that’s the case and we need to help.
“We are now giving people a few extra tips so that when they leave their instructor’s induction they will know what I expect and what the Navy expects of them.”
The CO said this year would see a focus on staff inductions, expectations and education, as well as team activities.
“Last year we concentrated on the mechanics - getting the blocks in order, getting two to a cabin, getting the tiered system in place, getting the duty watch in place - focus on the trainees and getting the organisation right. This year the focus is the staff.”
The review is also in place at HMAS Watson, Waterhen and Penguin where the same tiered epaulettes are worn by trainees, and there are plans to have the system implemented for trainees at Cabarlah and Wagga Wagga in a form compatible with local conditions.
In terms of feedback from the fleet on the trainees coming out under the new system, CAPT Thomas said it’s a bit early yet, as some courses, such as the technical trades, are only at the end of their courses now.
“Time will tell whether this works but I do know that things can only get better. We’ve got a lot of good people here and we’ll try and build on the good people that we’ve got.
“I’m passionate about getting this right and so are the key people, including the XO CMDR Bairstow, CMDR Don Forbes, CPOB Brian Pattison and POB Bruce Walsh. But generally I think all the schools are really keen to make it work because it’s the right thing to do and it creates a consistent approach.
“The focus and the discipline are being re-energised.”