Donaghadee cadet reaches final selection for prestigious national award with education charity CVQO

On the 11th April, 18 year old John Bailie of Donahagdee and 20 more young competitors will face a challenging 36 hour assessment in the Quantock Hills in Somerset to determine which of them, selected from over 20,000 young people earning extracurricular qualifications with educational charity CVQO, can prove themselves worthy of the top prize.

The participants, all members of UK youth organisations, have been chosen to compete in the last round of selection for the Duke of Westminster Award 2012. The prestigious competition is organised by CVQO and sponsored by the organisation’s patron, the Duke of Westminster. Not only are the hopefuls competing for the highest accolade of being named winner, but also for a place as one of the top nine learners to participate in a three week expedition to South Africa.

The event will test communication, teamwork and leadership skills through a variety of demanding physical and mental tasks. This year, 250 entrants were nominated for the award. These are young people who possess a wide range of skills and abilities and have overcome personal challenges, as well as demonstrating a consistently high level of commitment to their communities and their peers. In addition, the activities undertaken during the challenge will meet the criteria for each candidate to achieve a Level 3 Award in Leadership from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

John Bailie, an army cadet from Donahagdee, Northern Ireland and a member of 2 (Northern Ireland) Battalion ACF, has achieved the BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Public Services with CVQO. He believes the qualification will really open doors to both education and employment in the future.

“This qualification will undoubtedly show a huge level of commitment to future employers since I completed it outside of school and therefore it took personal drive and initiative. My class tutor carried out a mock interview recently as part of my course and was very interested in the CVQO-led qualification. This shows how that there is a definite interest in the qualification as an impressive aspect of my CV.”

“If you have the self-determination and drive to complete the course the rewards gained from it are numerous. Not only do you get a physical qualification but also the memories and experiences you receive from just taking part are something that will stay with you forever. In short this award opens doors that you can’t possibly foresee and it is definitely worth the time and effort it takes to complete it.”