The Royal Engineers Vocational Qualifications Office started work on qualifications for Corps personnel in 1997. Initially, the RE VQ Office team focussed on NVQs and other provision for the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME), particularly at Chatham, but its responsibilities grew as more and more schemes and locations were taken on.

By 2005 it was clear that the Team’s title did not reflect its size, role and responsibilities, and it was re-named as the Royal Engineers Continuous Personal Development (RE CPD) Team. The RE CPD Team is still managed and funded by the Royal Engineers Vocational Education & Training Trust (REVETT); the Trust is a registered Charity (number 1068709).

Based in Chatham at the RSME, the RE CPD Team head office is the driving force behind most RE CPD activity and is directly involved in many qualifications schemes at RSME Chatham. A state of the art Learning, Testing & Advice Centre was opened at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley, in Summer 2009.

The team opened the first two of a network of Learning & Advice Centres in units during 2009, starting in Hohne and Waterbeach. More information about these Centres can be found on our news pages.

The RE CPD Team currently employs fourteen members of staff across the sites. The Team supports the provision of civilian qualifications & training in many of the skills areas associated with military engineering, including construction, engineering and telecommunications.

Other responsibilities that the RE CPD Team undertake include administering award & bursary schemes for particular groups of Royal Engineers personnel, as well as conducting research and development in new qualifications and awards schemes.