Quality Cadet Unit Award

209 units earned the title "Quality Cadet Unit" in 2012 for data from 1 January 2011 through 31 December 2011.

List of 2012 Winners                         2011 Unit Data

Units that received the award may use the 2012 Quality Logo on their unit website, letterhead, recruiting materials and other squadron publications.

118 units earned the title "Quality Cadet Unit" in 2011 for data from 1 January 2010 through 31 December 2010.

List of 2011 Winners                        2010 Unit Data

 

ELIGIBILITY

All cadet and composite squadrons and flights with a minimum of 10 cadets are eligible.

2012-2013 CRITERIA (Data from 1 September 2012 through 31 August 2013)

The award criteria are entirely objective.  Any unit that meets at least 5 of the 9 criteria listed below, as of 31 August, qualifies:

Adult Leadership: Unit has at least 3 Training Leaders of Cadets graduates on its roster

Aerospace: Unit earned the Aerospace Excellence Award (AEX) during the school year

Cadet Achievement: 40% of cadets on roster have attained the Wright Brothers Award

DDR Participation: 20% of cadets on roster have completed DDRx or unit participated in RRLA

Encampment: 50% of cadets on roster have completed encampment

Enrollment: Unit has at least 35 cadets listed on its roster

Growth: Unit’s cadet roster increased by 10%, or 10 cadets

Orientation Flights: 60% of cadets on roster have participated in at least 1 flight

Retention: Unit retained 40% of first year cadets (cadets that joined from 1 September 2011 through 31 August 2012)

CALCULATIONS

You can see if your unit is on track to receive the award throughout the year by using the calculations file (excel 2007).  Just fill in the yellow cells.

(1)   Each September 8th, NHQ will examine every cadet and composite squadron’s performance in the criteria above, as reflected in eServices. Every cadet and composite squadron is automatically considered for the award – there is no application procedure necessary.

 

(2)   Each September, NHQ will announce the winning squadrons on this webpage. Award elements will be mailed to the respective wing headquarters, for presentation at a suitable venue.

Steven Trupp, NHQ Program Manager

 

The Squadron of Merit Award remains in effect, but only one squadron per wing wins that award each year. The SOM program allows the wing commander to make subjective judgments about which unit is the “best” in the wing, while the Quality Cadet Unit Award is purely objective. One would hope that the SOM winner would also be a QCUA winner, but that is not a pre-requisite.   

 

 

Not at all. CAP-MAP measured administrative inputs – Did you complete a chaplain report?, Did you submit an encampment report?, Did you appoint a CAC representative?, etc. In contrast, the QCUA measures outcomes – Are you flying cadets?, Are you sending cadets to encampment?, Is your unit growing? It was conceivable for a CAP-MAP winning unit to be a paper tiger, while a QCUA winning unit will necessarily have an active, flourishing Cadet Program.