William's story

William's story

Age -  24

What apprenticeship did you complete/ are you currently completing?

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

How did you hear about this apprenticeship?

I first heard of this apprenticeship though the Cleveland Police website. I wanted to become a police officer, and so was actively looking for jobs as a police officer and I had just moved to the area. I'm originally from Surrey.

What made you decide to go down the apprenticeship route?

At the time I applied, this was the only route in to join as a police officer. 

Can you describe a typical day to us?

The day starts quite early, I'm currently in the beginning stages of my learning which is mostly classroom based. We regularly have various inputs from our police trainers, university lecturers and guest speakers on various policing topics from standards and behaviour to modern day slavery and everything in between.

What part of your apprenticeship have you enjoyed the most?

Ive enjoyed immersion week and Personal Safety training. Immersion week was brilliant as it gave us a real insight into what we would be doing when we finish our training. It was also good to meet our teams early instead of having to wait right until I'm due to go out on patrol to meet the colleagues I will be working with.

Personal Safety Training was good to learn the techniques we might employ when dealing with conflict. Prior to joining the police, I was a Royal Military Police Soldier. This training was very different, more specific and applicable.

What benefits have you noticed from completing an apprenticeship?

I think so far I understand a lot more about the university side of things such as the academic writing style, which I think will come in handy for when I'm conducting research for the university side of the degree. I also think these skills will help in an operational capacity later on in my career.

Do you feel supported as part of your apprenticeship?

Yes, so far so good.

Why would you recommend it to others?

Yes.

To find out more about the range of opportunities available at our Force, visit our Careers page. 

Expressions of interest are also open for our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) opportunity.