A Shropshire school, which is the first in the county to offer a Chartered Management Institute qualification to its Sixth Form students, is celebrating the first students to pass the course.

Adcote School, at Little Ness, is the only school in Shropshire – and one of only a limited number of schools in the UK – to currently offer this professional business leadership and management qualification to Sixth Form students.

Eibhlin Luff, 17, of Church Stretton, and overseas students Aishling Ojiako, 16, and Aishwarya Vishwakarma, 18, finished the course early and are the first girls in their year to complete the award.

Adcote has made the CMI course a part of the curriculum for all of its Year 12 students to help prepare them for higher education and the workplace. It is taught in partnership with StudyFlex management development agency, based in London.

The nationally recognised CMI Level 3 award in First Line Management teaches key transferable life and leadership skills. It bridges the worlds of education and the workplace and gives students the confidence, resilience and tools to help them thrive in their careers.

Headteacher Diane Browne said: “We are very proud of our very first CMI level 3 graduates. Work related learning is thriving at Adcote and the girls have really enjoyed this course, which has developed their leadership skills and given them a practical insight into the world of employment. It is an honour for us to be the only all girls school in the country working with the CMI in this way.”

Course tutor Marie Wylde said: “I have been so impressed with the way the girls have embraced this new initiative. They understand the impact that an adult management qualification will have on their futures and the doors it will open for them. Each and every student has exemplified the resilience required to succeed in leadership roles.”

Eibhlin, who wants to go into marketing, said that having a business qualification, such as CMI, on her CV would help her to stand out when competing against other candidates for a university place or a job.

Aishling, who plans to study engineering, said: “I think CMI will help me in the future because it has taught me how to communicate effectively in a business setting – learning how to be straight to the point, using formal language and how to use the correct tone.”

Aishwarya added that the CMI course had inspired her to do an MBA in management or set up her own business.