The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE)
Why Choose CTS for your Expeditions?
Chase Training Solutions delivers Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions with passion, purpose, and a deep commitment to empowering young people. Our expedition programmes are more than just a pathway to a prestigious award - they are a transformative journey that builds confidence, resilience, and lifelong skills.
Our staff team combine years of outdoor expertise with a passion for youth development, ensuring each young person gains practical and life skills, alongside memorable adventures and positive experiences.
We have 48 years' experience (and 62 years of family involvement with running DofE) of organising and running high quality, affordable DofE expeditions at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, both in the UK and overseas.
Having successfully supported tens of 1000’s of young people through their expedition training, practice and qualifying expeditions, and 1000’s of Expedition Teams, we have a genuine in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Expedition section, the wider DofE programme, and its delivery in a range of settings, including informal and formal education.
Our expeditions are fun, memorable and challenging, offering young people valuable experiences, which meet the aim, principles, and outcomes, of the Expedition section and the wider guiding principles and benefits of the DofE programme, and are open to all DofE participants from any background, DofE centre, group or organisation.
We have an excellent reputation within DofE Licenced Organisations, National Operating Authorities, Directly Licenced Centres, Multi-Academy Trusts, independent schools, and local authorities, for delivering the Expedition section to the highest standards and who regularly use us to deliver DofE expeditions to their participants, as well as recommending and booking participants onto our popular ‘open’ expeditions.
We have an outstanding reputation for safety, ‘best practice’ and keeping within the values, ethos and spirit of the DofE, meeting aim , principles, and outcomes of the Expedition section and the guiding principles of the DofE programme.
Embracing an ‘open and accessible to all’ policy, we ensure that young people are at the heart of everything we do, allowing them to benefit greatly from their participation in the DofE Expedition section by having fun, generating memorable, challenging and valuable experiences.
We are recognised for positively supporting young people with additional needs and are regularly asked to deliver the Expedition section to special educational needs schools and colleges that offer the DofE programme to their students.
Using CTS as your DofE expedition Approved Activity Provider (AAP) gives participants, their parents, and DofE Leaders, the assurance that the delivery of the Expedition section is in the best possible hands. We are managed by a unique leadership team, that has a genuine in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Expedition section, the wider DofE programme, and experience in its delivery within a range of settings, including informal and formal education. We are guided by our founder and Director, who started his current 52 years long DofE journey in 1974, by completing Bronze, Silver and Gold awards, before continuing his involvement through organising, supervising and assessing expeditions; as well as managing and running DofE groups, which he still does! He also worked over ten years full-time for the DofE charity as the Expedition Field Officer, assisting with the operational delivery and development of the Expedition section; supporting DofE Licenced Organisations to ensure the Expedition section was delivered to a high quality and reaching as many young people as possible; organising and leading UK and overseas DofE expeditions and Gold Residential section projects; sitting on the DofE’s National Expedition Advisory Panel; and delivering outdoor training for adults involved with the Expedition section. He is a former Mountain Rescue Team member; the Expedition and Outdoor Leadership Technical Adviser for The Boys’ Brigade (England & Wales), the national Duke of Edinburgh's Award Ambassador for St John Ambulance; and a professionally qualified youth worker.
All our instructors are handpicked, not just because of the outdoor qualifications they hold and the years of experience they have, but also because of their knowledge of, and safe practice within the DofE Expedition section and the wider DofE programme; their enthusiasm and motivation; their commitment to ‘best practice’; and their ability to empower, inspire, encourage and engage with young people at all levels, promoting personal, social, and educative development, increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and young people's enjoyment of participating in the DofE. Outdoor qualifications alone, i.e. proven technical competency, do not develop these ‘soft’ skills, or the leadership ability and personal qualities required to positively deliver the DofE Expedition section to young people. This is why, when selecting staff to support and work with us, we look beyond their outdoor qualifications.
We are proud of the many positive comments and endorsements we receive, following the purposeful engagement and support we give to young people during our DofE expedition programmes:
