Cadets urged to partner with schools

Speaking at the Ministry of Defence youth conference this week veterans minister Kevin Jones said the cadets' greatest challenges were the economic climate and the need to "dispel the myth that the cadets are elitist and not for the majority of young people".

He urged the government to work across departments to ensure ongoing support of the movement.

"This is not just a Ministry of Defence issue. We have to work across government to explain how the cadets can benefit broader society and individual citizens."

Jones was supported by youth minister Dawn Butler who said cadet units must present the positive outcomes of their work in order to partner with schools. "What we have to do now is show what boxes are being ticked so schools will then understand because you are speaking their language."

Edward Woods, chief executive of charity Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation, which manages vocational qualifications for the cadets, said he had witnessed how school partnerships with cadet units had positively impacted on young people who had become disengaged with school life.

He said: "It helps youngsters back into the fold and gives a different relationship between teacher and student."

But lieutenant colonel Ian Sawers of the North West Reserve Forces and Cadet Association raised concerns about the difficulty of engaging with local authorities. "We are up against a turgid bureaucracy to try and find out who to talk to. Once you have we don't have the capacity to deal with it."