The Academy ships are some of our many tools used to train new members to function within the STF framework. The CO, XO, GM and DH's aboard the Academy ships are all tasked with training new members in all aspects of STF, from posting etiquette to character creation to the basics of WeBBspace navigation.

The Academy ships are designed to function as a safety net for those new members who are unsure of the system or who are unfamiliar with roleplaying in general and would like some extra assistance that couldn't be provided in the mainstream fleets.

Academy missions, unlike mainstream missions, last for only three months to allow for a greater turnover. At the conclusion of three months service in the Academy, a cadet is assigned to a mainstream ship at the rank of Ensign.

The top cadets in each graduating class are offered the opportunity to stay on as Department Heads to help train the next class of Cadets.

Whilst serving as a cadet in the Academy, you aren't permitted to have other characters aboard mainstream ships, nor any more characters aboard Academy ships. After graduation, these restrictions are lifted and you may have as many characters in as many positions as you'd like aboard mainstream ships.

Cadets are required to post at least once every seven days (with the exception of the Apollo, which is every 10 and the Discovery, which is every four), though they tend to post once or twice per day, facilitating the shorter mission time.

Should a cadet fail to post for more than 14 days, an email will be sent and failure to answer that email will result in the cadet being removed from the roster of the ship they were on. Should a cadet return after being removed, they may ask the Academy Commandant to be reinstated on the ship.

The STF Academy offers a variety of courses which can be taken to enhance your knowledge and compliment your skills in any given area. Courses range from introductions to Counselling, Security, Science, Medical and Engineering, to the Department Head course, the XO course and the CO course. At the end of each course an exam is required in order to pass that course. Each course is monitored by a tutor who grades each exam submitted. Passing any of these courses is no guarantee of a promotion or an appointment to the position in question, but CO's, XO's, FComm's and the President do take exam scores into consideration when handling applicants for a position.

There is also a GM course, which we require prospective GM's to pass as one of the requirements for acceptance into the Gamemaster Training programme.