Vanguard Magazine

Captain Dylan Grimm, Aerospace controller with 42 Radar Squadron controls air traffic during Exercise AMALGAM DART. Photo: DND Air Combat Systems Officer, Captain Katie Fung from 437 Transport Squadron in Trenton, coordinates the air-to-air refueling operations during the NORAD Exercise AMALGAM DART. Photo: DND www.vanguardcanada.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 25 TECHNOLOGY training based on specific team needs, ca- pabilities, and future work allowing or- ganisations to plan their future workforce while building their current one. Based on the success of the digital talent management model, approach, and plat- form offered by WithYouWithMe, it ap- pears that there is a solution available that could also be effectively applied inside the occupational training and career manage- ment systems of the CAF. Since the mili- tary already employs aptitude testing in its recruitment process and devotes an unpar- alleled amount of time and resources to training and career development, it would seem an easy proposition to adopt similar, if not the same, mechanisms pioneered by WithYouWithMe to develop and retain digital talent within the Forces. Final Thoughts To remain a relevant military force, capa- ble of mission success both at home and abroad, the CAF must continue its digital transformation journey. The success of this journey will depend on a number of fac- tors and arguably the most important will be the digital training for all members of the CAF. The challenges to training should not be underestimated. The CAF is in a technological arms race, where the pace of change is huge, while relevant digital skills suffer rapid skill fade. One can liken the digital training requirement to basic marksmanship – you need your weapon, ammunition, ranges to train on, relevant practices, coaches, and time. Training Digital Warfighters requires similar things – technology, exercise frameworks, and an immersive environment, experts in digi- tisation and time. To meet the growing demand for Digital Warfighters alternative approaches to training should also be con- sidered. Training will be the center of grav- ity to the CAF's essential digital journey. Reference: 1. PRICIE (+G) is a framework to identify factors to be considered in the introduction of new capabilities; its top-level elements are: Personnel; Research; Infrastructure; Concepts; In- formation; Equipment (and Generate). Richard Fawcett is a retired colonel who served 34 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and since retirement has worked in the defence C4ISR industry in a number of roles. During his military career, he served in a variety of command and staff appoint- ments, serving in Canada and international- ly with both NATO and the United Nations. Command experience included command- ing officer of the Canadian Forces Joint Sig- nal Regiment, Commander Canadian Forces Base Kingston, and Commander of the Ca- nadian Task Force in the DRC. In December 2004, he was awarded the NATO Meritori- ous Service Medal, in 2007 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Military Merit, in 2010 was awarded the RCMP Award of Distinction and in 2012 he was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Rick is currently the EVP Defence for ADGA Group Consultants Inc. development, WithYouWithMe has been able to source and build digital talent for government and business to solve future of work and digital transformation. Since launching in December 2016, more than 1,250 veterans, spouses, and neurodiverse individuals have been directly employed in new careers. With over 60 per cent of our graduates having no technical background, WithYouWithMe is helping soldiers get into tech and bridge the digital skills shortage. As Tom Moore, CEO, relates, "We start- ed WithYouWithMe because of the diffi- culty a lot of former serving military mem- bers have in finding meaningful careers post-service, including myself. I witnessed this issue first-hand where I struggled to even secure a physical security role after serving for seven years in the Australian Defence Force. At first, we had the idea that we needed to change the way veter- ans presented themselves to recruiters, but we quickly realised it was the system that needed changing. No-one else was doing it, so we decided to change it ourselves". The solution is packaged within WithY- ouWithMe's signature "Potential" soft- ware-as-a-service platform. Aptitude test- ing, IT training, career opportunities, and talent pipelines are all available through one unique system, providing a two-way market for both the job-seeker as well as the employer. From the perspective of the individual, all the testing, training, certi- fications, and job matching services are readily available from one digital campus, making the personal development experi- ence easy and efficient to access, navigate, and consume. Employers are able to search for specific skills as well as request special

• Cover