Guidance

Employers' toolkit

Published 28 September 2026

National Cadets Week is a national celebration of the Cadet movement.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, it brings together five Cadet Forces: the Sea Cadet Corps, Volunteer Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps and the Combined Cadet Force.

Together they support 137,000 cadets and 28,000 adult volunteers across the UK.

This year marks the launch of Phase 1 of the National Cadets Action Plan, setting out the framework for sustainable growth of the Cadet Forces by 30%, delivering over 40,000 more cadet places by 2035.

What can you do?

• Share your story across National Cadets Week (5 to 11 October). Post about your organisation’s support for the cadet movement, whether that’s a new pledge or an existing commitment. Tag @MinistryofDefence, your local cadet organisation where relevant and use #NationalCadetsWeek.
• Make the pledge. Commit to 5 days of paid volunteering leave for Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) and announce it during the week.
• Contact your Defence Relationship Manager (DRM) to find out how to progress to the next stage of the Employer Recognition Scheme (Bronze, Silver or Gold). You can find your regional contact via Defence Relationship Management .

Why should you get involved?

Transferable skills

CFAVs practise leadership and people management every week, often at a level well beyond the requirements of their day job. Running a parade night, planning a residential event or complex activity, managing safeguarding responsibilities, and mentoring young people through difficult moments all build skills that transfer directly into the workplace: leadership under pressure, structured decision-making, coaching, risk management and team communication.

Former cadets entering the workforce often bring recognised qualifications gained through their time with the Cadet Forces, including Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, first aid certificates, BTECs and other vocational qualifications. These are qualifications employers can trust and build on. Equally important are the non-formal skills developed through cadet service, such as teamwork, leadership, resilience, communication and self-confidence, all of which are directly transferable to the workplace and support long-term career success.

Organisational culture

Employing and supporting people who volunteer in their community builds a stronger organisational culture. It signals to your whole workforce that leadership, service and community contribution are valued, not just tolerated. Research from Oxford University shares that volunteering consistently and genuinely improves employee mental health and wellbeing. This has a positive effect on staff retention, employer brand, and how your organisation is perceived by customers and partners.

Our retention challenge, and why it matters to you

Our CFAVs are the absolute backbone of our cadet organisations and retention is one of the biggest challenges facing the cadet forces. Many volunteers balance full-time employment with weekly parade nights, weekend training and annual camps. Too often, they step back from volunteering not through lack of commitment, but because the demands on their time becomes unsustainable. Employer support, particularly through formal volunteering leave, is one of the most effective ways to remove that pressure and keep experienced, skilled volunteers in post and in their jobs.

There is no single “right” way to support cadets. Whether your organisation is ready for a quick, visible gesture or a sustained partnership, there is a place to start.

Bronze: Quick wins for any organisation

These require little planning and can be actioned within National Cadets Week.

• Share your organisation’s story of support for cadets or CFAVs across your social media channels. Use #NationalCadetsWeek and tag @MinistryofDefence.
• Encourage senior leaders to share their own personal experiences, such as employing a former cadet or CFAV, visiting their local unit or just chatting with a cadet at an event.
• Encourage employees to showcase their cadet volunteering and achievements on LinkedIn and other professional networks.
• Feature a former cadet or CFAV employee in your internal communications, newsletter or intranet and promote their commitment.
• Invite a CFAV or local unit leader to speak at a team meeting or company event about their experience.

Silver: Visible commitments that take a little planning

These require some internal sign-off but deliver strong, lasting impact.

• Formally pledge 5 days of paid volunteering leave for employees who are CFAVs and announce it during National Cadets Week. Further guidance on this is found below.
• Publish your commitment on your website and include it in job advertisements.
• Host or sponsor a cadet unit Open Day or organise a visit to your local unit to see how you as a business may be able to support to local challenges they may be having.

Gold: Create a deeper, longer-term partnership

These represent a sustained investment and position you as a genuine advocate for the cadet movement.

• Sponsor a cadet activity, competition, or overseas expedition, this could give cadets opportunities they’d otherwise never be able to dream of.
• Provide employment advice, mentoring, workshops, or work experience placements to cadets.
• Become an advocate: encourage your supply chain and partner organisations to sign the Armed Forces Covenant or engage with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

The Big Pledge: 5 days of paid volunteering leave

This year’s headline ask for employers is to pledge 5 days of paid volunteering leave for employees who are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.

This is a genuine business commitment, not a token gesture, and it is also one of the requirements for achieving Gold status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

CFAV retention is one of the greatest challenges facing the cadet movement. Volunteers give their evenings for weekly parade nights, but training camps, expeditions and residential development or training courses require multiple consecutive days away from work. Without employer support, many volunteers are forced to use their own annual leave, or step back from the role altogether. A formal pledge of 5 days’ paid leave removes that barrier and directly supports volunteer retention.

Each volunteer at unit level supported by their employer to continue volunteering can change the lives of many cadets each year, supporting them in becoming a more rounded, more confident, more resilient member of society.

How it can be implemented

• Agree the pledge with your HR and senior leadership team. Share the benefits above to support in this request.
• Announce your pledge publicly during National Cadets Week (5 to 11 October), Share with industry news and across socials using #NationalCadetsWeek #TheBigVolunteeringPledge and tag @MinistryofDefence.
• Job advertisements: Add a short line to your standard job advert template noting your support for the Armed Forces community and cadet volunteers. For example: “[Organisation] is a proud supporter of the Armed Forces community and offers paid volunteering leave to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.”
• Your website: Create or update a dedicated page setting out your Corporate Social Responsibility and Armed Forces Covenant commitments, including your CFAV leave pledge. Use the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos if you hold them.
• Internal communications: announce the pledge through your intranet, all-staff email or internal newsletter so employees are aware it exists.
• Recruitment materials and onboarding: Include your Armed Forces and cadet support commitments in candidate packs and new starter materials.

Short announcement statement - Example

“[Organisation name] is proud to pledge 5 days of paid volunteering leave to any employee who volunteers as a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer. We recognise the immense value that Cadet Force Adult Volunteers bring, not just to the young people they support, but to our own organisation through the leadership, teamwork and resilience skills they develop and bring back to the workplace. This National Cadets Week, we’re proud to stand behind the volunteers who make the cadet movement possible.”

Find out more

The Ministry of Defence cadet forces