A Royal Navy Combined Cadet Force (CCF) section has been opened at Northbrook Metropolitan College in Worthing, West Sussex.
There to officially sanction the occasion and celebrate the establishment of the Royal Navy Section was Commodore David Elford OBE ADC, Naval Regional Commander for Eastern England and himself a former CCF cadet at School. The event was hosted by Nick Juba, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Brighton Metropolitan College.
"It is a real great honour to be invited to open your Combined Cadet Force Royal Navy Section at Northbrook Metropolitan College," said Cdre Elford. "I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard over the last year to create the conditions which have led to its formation, and in particular I must congratulate the Contingent Commander, Lieutenant Neil Cockcroft for his drive and enthusiasm."
The Royal Navy Cadets took centre stage during a parade led by the contingent commander Lt Neil Cockcroft, who also served in the Royal Navy as a Physical Training Instructor and is now Senior Tutor on the Uniformed Services course at the College.
"Today has been a fantastic," said Neil. "We've been planning for this day for a long time. It's such a pleasure to have finally reached this point after all the hard work that the young people have put in. We are growing as a Unit and the CCF is enhancing the profile of the college in the community and the Greater Brighton area."
The New Royal Navy Section joins the Fire Service Cadet section from the college and is funded as part of the Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP), with an aim to promote a military ethos in schools, and instill core values in young people that will help them get the most out of their lives, and contribute to their communities across the country.
The pupils develop key qualities such as self-discipline, loyalty and respect, strong leadership, teamwork and resilience. The programme focuses on CCF units and ensures pupils from state schools get a chance to experience life-enriching activities as part of school life.
This creates positive benefits in all areas of school life including character skills strongly valued by employers looking for leadership, teamwork, communication skills, integrity and career progression.
"The cadets have giving me the chance to improve my self-confidence," said Leading Cadet Curtis Critchley (19). "We get to do some amazing things with the CCF, like flying in a helicopter and sailing around the Isle of Wight. I'm also getting some great experiences out of it as well, including an opportunity to lead others and take control, which I haven't done before."
