The aim of the Volunteer Cadet Corps is to provide opportunities for young people to develop into responsible, dependable and useful members of society, employing the traditions and practises of the Naval Service as the basis for their activities. The Volunteer Cadet Corps, formed in 1901 and sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, accepts young people between the ages of 9 and 16 who can then serve until 18 as either a Royal Naval Cadet or a Royal Marines Cadet. The VCC has units in Arbroath, Chivenor, Fareham, Gosport, Lympstone, Plymouth and Portsmouth. All units of the VCC are registered charities and staffed by unpaid adult volunteers in their spare time.