Take charge of the future
People Matters

Directorate of Personnel – Air Force

As part of the new RAAF Personnel Strategy a team has been formed to develop tools to assist all Air Force people manage their own careers.

Unnecessary barriers to employment and promotion will be removed, a web portal, People Central, containing career information will be developed and you will have more involvement in your own career development.

The recently formed Directorate of Personnel Strategy Implementation (DPSI-AF) has been tasked with implementing changes in the way Air Force manages its people.

Of course effective management of your career requires finding a balance between your needs, the needs of your unit and the needs of the Air Force. The new Personnel Strategy will involve you in a partnership with your commander and Personnel Branch in finding that balance.

Regular updates on progress of the project will be provided through this column.

We are responsive
It is important for us in the Personnel Branch to let you know that we are listening to you and that we receive your correspondence.

From this year (and beyond) Personnel Branch staff will endeavour to respond to all incoming correspondence within 30 days of receipt.

In some cases we will be able to respond fully to your request. In other cases we will just let you know we’ve received it and we are taking action.

We might respond to you by e-mail, phone, fax or letter but in all cases, we see it as a matter of courtesy to let you know that we take your correspondence seriously.

Promotion prospects
Promotion is a keenly contested affair. The number of people promoted varies each year and setting these targets is a serious business.

A multitude of factors must be considered in the balance between individual expectation and what the Air Force needs. Some of these factors include:

• establishment requirements, including changes over the promotion period;
  
• estimated separations from the rank for each mustering/specialisation;
  
• the size of the pool of eligible people;
  
• the desired size of a reserve pool for a certain rank (as a backup);
  
• effects on the morale/opportunities for certain musterings/specialisations; and
  
• number of people in out-of-category positions.

DPO and DPA staff work closely with Workforce planners to ensure that the right balance is achieved. After all, it is about making sure people have opportunities to excel and get promoted as much as a numbers question.

Building the force
For a long time “high separations and poor recruitment” was the catch-cry when it came to workforce status.

However, these days Air Force is actually achieving excellent recruiting results across all modes of entry for both airmen and officers.

Separation rates have shown a similar turnaround.

The annual rates for this financial year show a separation rate of about 8 per cent for airmen and about 6 per cent for officers.

These results are in contrast with separation rates over the past 10 years of about 11 per cent for airmen and about 9 per cent for officers.

What does this mean for you? The increase in strength might not be apparent in the trained workforce at present as a significant number of personnel are moving through the initial training system. As these personnel graduate from training and move into the trained workforce, some of the pressures we are experiencing will be eased a little.

Of course, it takes a while to build an experienced workforce, but it is good to know that things are turning around, particularly in times of high operational tempo. As an Air Force we will be working hard to make sure things stay that way.

Further information on the status of the workforce can be sought from Squadron Leader Karen Donaghue on (02) 6265 2221.

Feedback welcome
People Matters is about keeping you in touch with personnel issues that affect you. We hope the information is useful, but be sure to let us know about anything that you want to know more about.

Send suggestions or feedback to: Squadron Leader Ken Robinson, R8-9-017, Russell Offices, Canberra ACT 2600; fax: (02) 6265 1284; e-mail: Kenneth.Robinson1@defence.gov.au

.