HM Armed Forces
City & Guilds Senior Awards provide a special accreditation structure for members of HM Armed Forces. The awards are available across all three services as well as for reserve forces personnel.
About the Awards
City & Guilds senior awards are distinguished qualifications which are recognised in both civilian and military worlds. As part of a continuing commitment by City & Guilds to providing formal recognition of military programmes we are now able to accredit military professional development with senior awards at three levels. Awards in leadership & management are available at the following levels:
Licentiateship (LCGI)
Comparable to a Foundation Degree academic level and at a supervisory/first line management skills level. This is available to:
- Commissioned officers with a regular or special regular commission or officers with a reserve commission plus two years experience in post.
- Petty Officers or Sergeants.
Graduateship (GCGI)
Comparable to an Honours Degree and suitable for those in middle management roles. This is available to:
- Commissioned officers who have passed the promotion board to Lieutenant, Captain or Flight Lieutenant plus two years experience in post.
- Chief Petty Officers, Staff Sergeants or Flight Sergeants plus two years experience in post.
Membership (MCGI)
Comparable to a Master's Degree and suitable for those in strategic management roles. This is available to:
- Commissioned officers on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Major or Squadron Leader plus two years experience in post.
- Warrant Officers Class One or RAF Warrant Officers plus two years experience in post.
As well as being used to accredit programmes at top military institutions such as the Royal Military College of Science and the Royal Military College Sandhurst, the awards are also used to blue-chip companies such as Waitrose as a way of accrediting management development programmes. They are also offered directly by 30 of the UK's leading universities, among them Bath, Leeds and Cardiff, and are recognised by many more.
The benefits for you
A Senior Award identifies you as a highly motivated individual who can handle pressures and new challenges and who will grasp the opportunity to develop new skills. Senior Awards allow you to gain valuable recognition for your professional and academic development within the military, and will provide future civilian employers with a recognised performance benchmark. The awards are offered under City & Guilds' Royal Charter and carry with them the added distinction of post nominal letters.
Application
Most applications can now be made directly through your employer at substantially less than the standard rate. The fees:
| Awards | Directly from City & Guilds | Via a Military Centre |
| Licentiateship | £120 | £58 |
| Graduateship | £270 | £88 |
| Membership | £370 | £98 |
- RAF Application Form and latest Defence Instructions and Notices (DIN)
- Army Application Form
- Royal Navy Application Form and latest DIN
If you would like to contact the Army or the RAF or the Royal Navy accreditation teams directly you can find their contact details below:
Army Accreditation Office: +44 (0)1264 381576
Royal Air Force: +44 (0)01400 268179
Royal Navy: +44 (0)1329 333168
For direct applications to City & Guilds please complete the Generic Military application form.