National Audit Office recommendation

Status

The Department should:

• encourage better performance from Ascent by more effectively incentivising it to work as a partner to achieve the aims of the new core training;

In March 2016, the Department told the Committee of Public Accounts that it was reviewing contract incentives. It has since introduced new incentives for some contracts. In June 2019, it launched a broader transformation project to better align incentives with the Department's desired outcomes.

• assess the cost and time implications of increasing training capacity;

Since the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, the Department has considered various ways to train more aircrew, including through an expanded Military Flying Training System (MFTS) or other training. It estimates that it will have the processes in place to fully meet increased requirements from 2023.

• agree formal contingency plans for covering gaps in training during the move to the new core training;

With most MFTS courses now available, the need for contingency plans has reduced. While introducing the MFTS, the Department has continued training on some legacy aircraft to ensure continuity.

• set out and communicate clearly roles and responsibilities across the whole training system;

In 2018, the Department told us it had been working with Ascent to manage interfaces within the MFTS. The Department does not have a senior responsible owner overseeing the complete training process, with the team responsible for Phase 2 training not having authority over the subsequent operational (Phase 3) training.

• the Department should establish a robust baseline to measure, monitor and evaluate performance across the whole training system; and

Since 2017, the Department has improved Phase 2 data, but cannot yet assess historical trends. It does not centrally hold data on the whole training process extending beyond Phase 2. As such, it cannot say how much it costs, or the time taken to train aircrew.

• establish a clear process to get benefits across the whole training system and between services.

An objective of the MFTS is to bring forward Phase 3 training, which has been the most expensive aspect, with the Army estimating in 2011 that it comprises an estimated 90% of the costs. The Department is now conducting more training outside the MFTS than initially planned.