The Army Cadet Force is one of the country’s largest voluntary youth organisations, with over 900 cadets aged 12 to 18 years old and 220 adult volunteers in Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

The partnership focusses on improving life chances in the region by breaking down barriers to higher education for both cadets and volunteers.

Kevin Hetherington, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Staffordshire University, said: “Both organisations have the shared aim of raising aspirations and equipping young people with the skills to help them achieve their ambitions.

“This partnership will highlight the opportunities that higher-level qualifications can provide to cadets, but it will also benefit current students at Staffordshire University by offering valuable work experience and volunteering opportunities within the Army Cadet Force.”

The joint venture will see cadets and volunteers invited to taster days on campus, plus bursaries to support university study, funded by The Friends of the Staffordshire and West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force Trust.

Knowledge exchange will also be embedded in the partnership, including PhD research opportunities to understand the benefits of engagement in Army Cadet Force activities.

The initiative builds on Staffordshire University’s long-standing relationship with the Ministry of Defence and commitment to the Armed Services Covenant. Since 2004, the University has been an approved provider of degree programmes to the MoD and currently has nearly 2,000 armed forces students around the world. Last year, it also achieved silver status in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

Graham Morley, Chair of the Friends of the Army Cadet Force Trust and Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, said: “This is a fantastic partnership that is aimed at opening up progression routes into Higher Education at Staffordshire University to ACF cadets and adult volunteers who may not have previously considered this as a possibility.”