Update from Lynne Swift, Director People and Development

 

Apprenticeships are playing an important role in the attraction, recruitment and training of our student police officers via the PCDA programme delivered in partnership with Teesside University.

We currently have 174 student police officers working towards a level six Degree apprenticeship over three years. By the end of 2022, Cleveland Police aims to have a minimum of 180 student officers working towards a Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), representing over seven percent of the total workforce.

Seven police staff have either recently completed their apprenticeship or will have completed by September 2022.

The Force has plans to introduce apprenticeship programmes for police staff during the 2022/23 year, working with Unison and input from our staff associations. The Police Staff apprenticeships will be a mix of bringing in new apprenticeships into established roles across a range of Enabling Services functions; initially focusing on hard to fill roles and introducing career development programmes for existing staff, which will include a range of leadership and management apprenticeships.

In October 2021 Cleveland Police was delighted to gain approval as members of the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network and has pledged to drive diversity in apprenticeships. You can read the letter with further details about the Force Pledge here.

We want to be part of Teesside's rich history of encouraging apprentices, who then help to inspire future generations. We recognise that for progressive and innovative places of work, apprenticeships are vital building blocks of skills development, future growth and improving diversity.

We want to amplify and strengthen the voices of apprentices to encourage others to understand and seek this pathway into working for Cleveland Police - as the Force continues to nurture people for successful future careers in policing.

Cleveland Police is committed to working with partners to ensure as many individuals as possible who want to work for the Force, and current staff, can access pre-entry level programmes to achieve specific requirements to apply for roles. For example, Level 2 English and Maths for student police officers; to broaden the diversity of applicants for police officer apprenticeships, and from 2022/23 wider apprenticeship programmes.

 

Lynne Swift

Director of People and Development