212. Military Education Lecture, Worshipful Company of Educators, Governors’ Hall Suite, St Thomas’ Hospital, 12 June 2024

Livery Masters were invited to the lecture entitled “Getting an Edge: How vocational qualifications enable members of uniformed youth groups to rise above their peer groups”.

The evening was introduced by the Master Educator Janet Reynolds for whom this was her last event as Master.

The speaker was welcomed by Brigadier Anthony Lamb MBE DL VR, Head of Youth and Cadets at the Ministry of Defence.  Brigadier Lamb was also the Deputy Head at Eastbourne College.  He had a unique perspective into the value of participation in uniformed youth groups and the importance of vocational qualifications.

The lecturer, Michele Parry, Deputy Chief Executive of the Cadet Vocational College, presented the fascinating findings of two independent research reports which found that vocational qualifications are seen by many employers as more positive indicators of employability than academic awards.  Moreover, vocational qualifications are increasingly used by universities and further education institutions to help select successful applicants.

Evidence from the studies shows that the life skills gained from the cadet experience – including confidence, resilience, and self discipline – can improve behaviour and attitude at school, employability, and social mobility.

The Cadet Vocational College works with young people and adult volunteers in a range of uniformed youth groups.  Both young people and adult volunteers in these groups are shown to benefit from gaining vocational awards, the possession of which is correlated with increased confidence, resilience, employability, and earnings in both the short and long term.

There are now 139,950 cadets and 26,660 adult volunteers.  There has been a significant increase in the number of cadet forces in state schools as the benefits have become more widely known and appreciated.

Cyberfirst, established in 2018, is a joint venture between the MOD and the GCHQ National Cyber Security Centre to provide cyber training for up to 2000 cadets a year.  The programme has grown and over 2500 cadets participated in 2023-24.

After the presentations and questions we were hosted with a buffet of bites and wine.

We then returned to the hall for a performance by a combined band of navel cadets.  They were very impressive.

Congratulations to the Master Educator and the Company of Educators on an impressive and enjoyable evening.