*"Clerk" Vocation Badge*
As combat-fit "clerk" or Administration Support Assistant for 1-Year, 10-months, I think it is good that I point out some stuff for the future Manpower-vocationalist. Also, for anyone that is interested in knowing more in-depth about our vocation.
Info about me:
I worked with a few "clerk"-vocation Commissioned Officers (they are ladies in their 40s now); "clerk"-vocation Warrant Officers (they are ladies in their 40s to 50s now) and also "clerk"-vocation Sergeants (NSFs).
Basically, Admin-trained soldiers (PES fit OR not, in my case, I went through Enhanced BMT) it goes like this:
From Recruit to Corporal First Class, appointment will usually be Administration Support Assistant OR some of them Personal Assistant.
BMT > Vocation training (Admin course) > Deploy to Unit.
If you are chosen to go command school AFTER BMT (PES fit OR not), the only school is SCS. As intake for OCS for Clerk vocation ended in 1996:
From Private to Senior Warrant Officer (Yes, there are Clerks holding SWO ranks in the past), appointment depends but it will start off as Administration Supervisor after passing-out from SCS course.
BMT > Foundation Term (Admin course) at PLC with all other vocation / Human Resource Institute (SCS) with other Admin-Cadets > Attached to Unit > back to PLC for final term then POP with other vocations at PLC > Back to Unit.
History:
In the past, the women who joined the army are given choice to sign on as a Non-Commissioned Soldier OR Commissioned Officers. Before the combat vocations were opened to the ladies in the 80s, the only vocation offered was only Manpower / Personnel vocation, which is known as the "Clerk" vocation. There are even Commissioned Officers for "Clerk"-vocationalist. Most well known is, COL Lee Yem Choo, the first female formation commander of Personnel Command (Google her name). She is a Manpower/PERS Vocation Officer.
Sadly, the last intake for Officers for the clerk-vocation ended in 1996. They are mostly taken over by DXOs now.
How to identify Officers OR NCOs that are "Clerk"-trained? It's easy. Refer to their Collar Vocation Badge. The badge on their collar with a sword in the middle and a feather and torch crossing it is the MANPOWER vocation. It shows they are initially trained and went through the Admin/Clerk course (Assistant or Specialist or Officers)
So what are these officers called?
They are called PERS-Officers. Or simply, Personnel Officers. Usually it is okay to call them Manpower Officers. Nowadays they are usually taken over by other DXOs or other vocation-trained officers. What I am referring here are the specifically trained ones. So, I usually call them Pers-Officers (confirmed with the officer herself).
What about the formation?
in the year 2011, they officially created the formation for all these administrative matters / staff. Which many call it the "Clerk Formation". It is called the PERSCOM, Personnel Command.
Anyone having any questions about the Manpower / Admin vocation, do post it here and I will try to answer with the best of my knowledge I gained from all the Clerk-trained WOs and Commissioned Officers.
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