A promotion can mean many things to many people, but, in the cadet program, one thing you can count on is that it's well-deserved.
Cadets are not promoted simply because they attended regularly the previous year.
They have to take the training levels each year for the rank they wish to obtain and they have to pass them.
Once a cadet reaches the rank of warrant officer, there's a strict criteria in place for promotion because every corps is only allowed to have so many cadets earn a senior rank.
The commanding officer for the 3055 RCACC Naujaat, Capt. Lloyd Francis, said only the most-deserving and outstanding cadets are promoted to a senior rank of warrant officer or above.
Francis joined cadets was he was 12 years old, and now has 16 years of experience under his belt in the program.
He said a well-deserved promotion increases the self-confidence of the cadet earning it, and, depending on the rank, often increases the level of confidence other cadets have in his or her abilities.
“Once a cadet becomes a sergeant, they're expected to take on more leadership roles,” said Francis.
“They start to learn more leadership skills from the warrant officers and, eventually, they become the corps' next warrant officers.
“It might not happen instantly, but, once the other cadets see the newly-promoted cadets in leadership roles, their perception of them changes in a positive way.”
Francis said being promoted to a senior rank does not mean the cadet has to become deadly serious about everything all the time.
He said the cadet program should always be fun, no matter what a cadet's rank.
“Gene (Siusangnark) exemplifies that as a cadet who's still happy-go-lucky most of the time, even though he's been promoted to the rank of chief warrant officer.
“Having said that, the cadets do take pride in their rank and take it seriously, especially when they start moving up from cadet to lance corporal and corporal.
“Once they reach master corporal and sergeant, they really start to take it seriously and they respect the other ranks.
“You see the pride in each and every one of them when they're called up to be promoted.”