CVQO
CVQO is a UK educational charity founded in 2001 that delivers accredited vocational qualifications (BTEC, ILM, City & Guilds) to young people and adult volunteer leaders within the UK cadet and youth organisations sector.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersCamberley, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CVQO does
CVQO is a UK-registered educational charity established in 2001 and headquartered in Camberley, Surrey. It provides accredited vocational qualifications to young people and adult volunteer leaders participating in UK cadet and youth organisations. The organisation is an approved centre for multiple UK awarding bodies, enabling it to deliver BTEC, ILM, and City & Guilds qualifications through partner organisations including the Army Cadet Force, RAF Air Cadets, and Sea Cadet Corps, among nine named partner organisations in total.
The core product is structured vocational qualification delivery — learners complete assessed units while serving as cadets or volunteers, with CVQO administering registration, assessment, and certification. The platform integrates with awarding-body requirements and partner-organisation training programmes. In 2025, CVQO extended its surface area beyond formal assessment with the launch of a 'Cadet to Career' website and podcast, broadening its content offering to support post-cadet career transition. The technology stack is not publicly detailed; the operating model is accreditation- and relationship-driven rather than software-platform-driven.
CVQO's revenue model is a hybrid of per-learner qualification fees and charitable income (donations, grants, sponsorship). It holds an Ofsted Good rating and was a finalist in the 2026 Westminster Award. The organisation operates exclusively within the United Kingdom and runs with 11-50 employees, serving a narrow but well-defined demographic of uniformed youth and adult volunteers. No acquisitions, external funding rounds, or geographic expansion have been disclosed.
CVQO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CVQO
- Legal name
- CVQO Ltd
- Website
- https://cvqo.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CVQO is a UK educational charity founded in 2001 that delivers accredited vocational qualifications (BTEC, ILM, City & Guilds) to young people and adult volunteer leaders within the UK cadet and youth organisations sector.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CVQO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vocational Education and Training
- NAICS
- Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)
Keywords
Where CVQO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Camberley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CVQO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Qualification Fees: Revenue generated through offering accredited vocational qualifications (BTEC, ILM, City & Guilds) to cadet and youth organisations. The college operates as a recognised awarding organisation.
- Charitable Donations: As a registered charity (Charity Registered in England & Wales No 1115234, Charity Registered in Scotland No SC039261), CVQO receives donations and legacies to support its mission of improving lives through vocational education.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
CVQO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cadet Vocational College (CVQO) is a UK-registered education charity that delivers accredited vocational qualifications (BTEC, ILM, and City & Guilds) to young people aged 8-19+ and adult instructors participating in cadet and youth organisations. The college operates as a recognised awarding organisation through partnerships with nine major national cadet and youth bodies, providing skills validation, employability workshops, and personal development recognition (Westminster Award) across the United Kingdom.
Product overview
Cadet Vocational College (CVQO) is a UK-based educational charity offering a portfolio of accredited vocational qualifications for young people and adult instructors in cadet and youth organisations. The core offering consists of BTEC, ILM, and City & Guilds qualifications at various levels, complemented by supplementary resources including BTEC Level 2 study materials, employability skills workshops, and maths/English/digital skills support. The Westminster Award provides an expedition-based achievement programme, while the Cadet to Career platform and podcast extend support into careers guidance and employment transition. Together, these products form a comprehensive vocational education pathway from initial qualification through to career readiness.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BTEC Qualifications
Quantifiable outcome
- 12 finalists progressed to the final expedition stage of the 2026 Westminster Award
Companies that use CVQO
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CVQO technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CVQO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Pearson (BTEC)coreCVQO is an official BTEC Approved Centre, enabling delivery of BTEC vocational qualifications to cadets and youth organisations. This partnership provides the accreditation framework for the college's vocational programmes.
- Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)coreCVQO is an official ILM Approved Centre, offering leadership and management qualifications for adult instructors and volunteers in cadet organisations.
- City & GuildscoreCVQO is an official City & Guilds Approved Centre, providing additional vocational qualification pathways including Education & Training qualifications for adult learners.
- Army Cadet ForcecorePrimary partner organisation through which vocational qualifications are delivered to young people and adult instructors.
- RAF Air CadetscorePrimary partner organisation for delivering vocational qualifications to Air Cadet members and volunteer instructors.
- Sea Cadet CorpscorePrimary partner organisation for vocational qualification delivery to Sea Cadet members and adult volunteers.
- Combined Cadet ForcecorePartner organisation representing school-based cadet forces across the UK.
- Boys BrigadecoreNational youth organisation partner for vocational qualification delivery.
- Fire CadetscoreYouth development programme partner for vocational training and qualification access.
- St John AmbulancecoreYouth volunteering organisation partner for first aid and health-related vocational qualifications.
- Volunteer Cadet CorpscoreNaval cadet organisation partner for vocational qualification delivery.
- Volunteer Police CadetscorePolice-affiliated youth programme partner for vocational qualifications.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CVQO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UK Youth: UK charity supporting a network of youth organisations with training, development, and quality frameworks. Comparable to CVQO in serving the youth sector through partnerships, though with a broader non-vocational remit.
- The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity delivering employability, education, and vocational pathways for 11–30 year-olds. Comparable to CVQO in targeting young people with vocational and employability outcomes, though at significantly larger scale.
- ASDAN: UK educational charity that develops and accredits vocational and personal development qualifications for young people, including those outside mainstream education. Directly comparable to CVQO in mission, charitable structure, and accrediting qualification pathways for youth.
- The Duke of Edinburgh's Award: UK charity delivering a non-formal personal development programme with accreditation widely recognised by employers and educators. Comparable to CVQO's Westminster Award in providing prestigious recognition for skills developed outside formal education, particularly among cadet and youth audiences.
Broad incumbents
- Pearson (BTEC): Global education company and owner of the BTEC qualification brand. CVQO is a BTEC Approved Centre, so Pearson is both a partner and the dominant awarding body in this space; broadly comparable as the upstream qualification framework provider.
- NCFE: UK awarding organisation and vocational education charity offering a wide range of technical and vocational qualifications. Comparable to CVQO as a similarly structured awarding body delivering accredited pathways into employment.
- City & Guilds: UK-established vocational awarding organisation offering technical and trade qualifications across many sectors. CVQO is a City & Guilds Approved Centre; comparable as both partner and broader vocational awarding body serving similar learner segments.
- ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management): UK awarding body specialising in leadership, management, and coaching qualifications. CVQO is an ILM Approved Centre delivering ILM qualifications to adult instructors; comparable as both partner and broader provider of leadership credentials.
Regional players
- NCS (National Citizen Service): UK government-backed youth programme for 16–17 year-olds delivering personal and employability skills. Comparable to CVQO's employability workshops and Cadet to Career offering in building work-readiness for young people.
Others
- St John Ambulance (Youth Programmes): National youth first-aid charity delivering vocational pathways for young people and adult volunteers. Listed as a CVQO partner and comparable as a UK organisation offering both youth volunteering and vocational skill recognition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CVQO social profiles
Digital presenceCVQO compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CVQO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CVQO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CVQO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CVQO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CVQO
What does CVQO do?
Cadet Vocational College (CVQO) is a UK-registered education charity that delivers accredited vocational qualifications (BTEC, ILM, and City & Guilds) to young people aged 8-19+ and adult instructors participating in cadet and youth organisations. The college operates as a recognised awarding organisation through partnerships with nine major national cadet and youth bodies, providing skills validation, employability workshops, and personal development recognition (Westminster Award) across the United Kingdom.
Is CVQO a public or private company?
CVQO is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CVQO founded?
CVQO was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CVQO based?
CVQO is headquartered in Camberley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CVQO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Qualification Fees are the primary driver. The others are charitable Donations.
Who are CVQO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UK Youth, The Prince's Trust, ASDAN and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Broad incumbents are Pearson (BTEC), NCFE, City & Guilds and ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management). NCS (National Citizen Service) is listed as a regional player. St John Ambulance (Youth Programmes) is listed as an others.
Does CVQO have an API?
No public API is recorded for CVQO.
What industry is CVQO in?
CVQO's product category is Vocational Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAALAM, Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE). Its NAICS code is 6115 and its SIC code is 8200.