Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doors?

[Sea_Dodger]

A question for those who have recently left the mob.
Have you used your PDR (Personal Development Record) when going for job interviews, and was it well received?
Or did you scrub round it and used a normal CV like everyone else?

My PDR was last seen propping open a door, is it worth obtaining a new one?

P.s Old school, PDR is a relatively new concept where you put your qualifications and certificates together in one folder and list the courses you completed whilst in the mob. For new entries a great deal is NVQ based.
Would this have been helpful to you when you left the mob?

 

[Deleted 7]

Re: Are PDR's useful for more than propping open fire d

Tried using it but civvy companies just glanced, those civvy qualifications you receive in the Mob ain't much help outside if you don't have the experience in that job role.

So back to the question, my PDR makes a good door prop, book prop, DVD prop, CD prop.............anything that goes with 'prop'.

Edited: I do however have a nice blue see through folder I keep all my records and qualifications in, the PDF is just so big and lumpy to carry around.

 

[dondon]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

Sorry , but an oldie coming in to this thread on "THE FLEET" , never even heard of a PDR , I'm 51 and still doing NVQs to keep up to date , though I am doing them by choice , I do try to look ahead a year or two , I would hate to look for another job at my age , love the one I've got but don't take it for granted , [sorry youngings , I'll get back to the oldies sites now] ,Quarterdeck & Diamond Lills , Memories :roll: :lol:

 

[the_matelot]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I keep my PDR up to date everywhere I go. In it I have put

All my RORRS 1,2,3 and TER's
Quals gained whilst on professional courses
SRCC & LRCC Chits
NVQ's gained
Apprenticeships Gained
Technical Course Certificates
Civvy course qualifications

You get the general idea!

As per always, you've got no-one to blame other than yourself if you don't keep it current. Likewise, as a div senior rate, I badger my division to ensure theirs is filled in correctly. All it takes initally is a couple of hours sorting out and it's a piece of pish to organise it as you go along. The concept of a PDR was not to replace a CV but to keep centralised a record of any (useful!!) qualifications you may have gained through the pusser or in your own time. As an indication, the only useful qualifications I've got in my PDR have been as a result of many many hours and weeks study at my own cost. Standard learning credits-if you don't use them, you lose them. And that is a crying shame to chuck away £175 every financial year.

 

[ali_p]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I spent upteen thousand hours at a ships wheel when in the mob, I was gemini cox'n on a mine sweeper going alongside live mines, ferrying bodies to and from other ships and shore, and before that time in the fishing fleet of Ayr.
but none of this qualified me to use a safety boat in a team when teaching kids and the unemployed the art of watersports.
I also took part in the combined forces yacht racing and qualified as an Ocean going crew member, my inshore skippers ticket and an offshore skippers ticket.

I had to sit all the RYA courses at my expense just to keep local govt. officials happy and their books straight.


soo all your paperwork is good for is wiping your arse or indeed holding the door open

 

[the_matelot]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I had to sit all the RYA courses at my expense just to keep local govt. officials happy and their books straight.
soo all your paperwork is good for is wiping your arse or indeed holding the door open

Well, if you did less whinging and were more proactive about seeking out what you were entitled to whilst you were in, you would've found out that you could've got all your RYA qualifications for free (or ultra minimal cost to yourself) through the Pusser as Adventurous Training......

 

[brigham600]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I had to sit all the RYA courses at my expense just to keep local govt. officials happy and their books straight.
soo all your paperwork is good for is wiping your arse or indeed holding the door open

Well, if you did less whinging and were more proactive about seeking out what you were entitled to whilst you were in, you would've found out that you could've got all your RYA qualifications for free (or ultra minimal cost to yourself) through the Pusser as Adventurous Training......

I'll think you will find that when ali_p was in the mob, such things were not available. Good to see you are in such a wonderful 'moderator' mode once again. ;-)

 

[janner]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I'm hoping Ali has not bothered taking his Medication today :lol:

 

[Maxi_77]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I keep my PDR up to date everywhere I go. In it I have put

All my RORRS 1,2,3 and TER's
Quals gained whilst on professional courses
SRCC & LRCC Chits
NVQ's gained
Apprenticeships Gained
Technical Course Certificates
Civvy course qualifications

You get the general idea!

As per always, you've got no-one to blame other than yourself if you don't keep it current. Likewise, as a div senior rate, I badger my division to ensure theirs is filled in correctly. All it takes initally is a couple of hours sorting out and it's a piece of pish to organise it as you go along. The concept of a PDR was not to replace a CV but to keep centralised a record of any (useful!!) qualifications you may have gained through the pusser or in your own time. As an indication, the only useful qualifications I've got in my PDR have been as a result of many many hours and weeks study at my own cost. Standard learning credits-if you don't use them, you lose them. And that is a crying shame to chuck away £175 every financial year.

In this day and age when so much is based on paper quals and being able to tick boxes this is without doubt excellent advice.

Peter

 

[Maxi_77]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

I spent upteen thousand hours at a ships wheel when in the mob, I was gemini cox'n on a mine sweeper going alongside live mines, ferrying bodies to and from other ships and shore, and before that time in the fishing fleet of Ayr.
but none of this qualified me to use a safety boat in a team when teaching kids and the unemployed the art of watersports.
I also took part in the combined forces yacht racing and qualified as an Ocean going crew member, my inshore skippers ticket and an offshore skippers ticket.

I had to sit all the RYA courses at my expense just to keep local govt. officials happy and their books straight.


soo all your paperwork is good for is wiping your arse or indeed holding the door open

It is a fact of life today that not only does one need paper these days it also has to be the right paper, and getting paper costs money.

I would also add that in this day of claim for anything lawyers the council was quite right as that little bit of paper is some protection for both them and you. There is these days a terrible tendency for the assunption that the lack of paper indicates lack of ability.

Having said that as some one who has sailed for over 40 years and saile yachts for some 30 years, I found the experience of doing my coastal skipper last year a valuable one and well worth the money.

Perhaps we do need refreshers in some of these things from time to time.

Peter

 

[whitemouse]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

Hmmm... seems that the modern navy is getting the same treatment for civvy jobs as some of old navy did, even with all of the courses taken and/or qualiifications gained.

I spent 17 years as a dusty and took courses/exams at my own expense in Purchasing, Materials control, handling etc.
At the end of my time the resettlement Officer (a retd three ringer) said that I had to take a retraining course in Yorkshire (nice county, nice beer) to be a.....wait for it.... 'A Storeman' 8O :? -- I think you can guess my reply.

I even applied to the MOD/DGIA (as they were called then) for a job in auditing of Naval and Catering stores accounts (ideal for an exDusty I would have thought), and was politely kissed off with 'not sufficent experience'.
Many others did the same, until I was employed overseas at a vastly better salary than any company in UK could provide

But trying to get the mindset of civ companies out of 'only a serviceman' seems to be as much a problem these days as when I left the mob.

I wish all well, leaving any of the forces shortly, in their efforts to be employed.

 

[Sea_Dodger]

Re: Are PDR's useful, other than propping open fire doo

Cheers whitemouse,

That's what I thought. I can see how going to a job interview with a big blue folder with "Royal Navy" plastered all over it containing certificates of pointless value obtained in the mob is going to help. (except relevant educational ones of course).
It's a good idea whilst in the mob to keep all your paper work together, but I can't see how future employers are going to be impressed with it.
Just shows your still regimented and can't sever the ties from the mob.