West Yorkshire Police
Location
West Yorkshire | United Kingdom
Job description
The learning will done both on police training premises and whilst actually doing the job to help student officers gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours to become a competent police officer.
This is a two year programme which leads to you becoming a uniform Police Constable. The initial training phase will involve 17 weeks at the West Yorkshire Police training facilities at Wakefield, before moving on to train within one of the five policing districts in West Yorkshire, in a specialism such as Neighbourhood Policing or Response.
This is a two year programme which leads to you becoming a Detective Constable. The initial training phase will involve 17 weeks at the West Yorkshire Police training facilities at Wakefield, before moving on to train within one of the five policing districts in West Yorkshire, in a specialism such as Safeguarding, Criminal Investigation or District Investigation.
This entry route is for those who already hold this degree, prior to joining the police service. Candidates who are subsequently recruited will undertake practice-based training to develop specific skills and will be assessed against national assessment criteria in order to demonstrate operational competence.
Yes
As above, the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Uniform and Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Detective entry routes do not require you to have a degree.
On the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route you will be working towards the completion of a professional degree-level apprenticeship as part of this entry route which will need to be successfully completed prior to being confirmed in post. Be aware you would need to meet the minimum entry requirements for the PCDA programme and pass the recruitment process set out by West Yorkshire Police and Leeds Trinity University.
You can apply to the Apprenticeship Scheme if you already have a degree, as long as that degree is not in a policing related subject.
We will be working in partnership with Leeds Trinity University, whose origins lie in teacher training, so have a long tradition of delivering vocational degree education programmes to provide the PCDA route. New student officers will be educated and trained by both West Yorkshire Police officers and university academic staff to ensure that they receive the best education to provide them will the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to provide an excellent service to the communities of West Yorkshire in an ever more changing society.
To undertake the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) entry route you will need:
A Level 2 / GCSE (A*-C or 9-4) or equivalent qualification in both English Language and Mathematics.
A Level 3 qualification within the meaning of Section 3 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 or equivalent (i.e. two A/AS Levels Grade A to E, GNVQ/NVQ Level 3, BTEC Level 3 or equivalent), ideally with a minimum of 80 UCAS points or be a serving Special Constable or PCSO having attained independent patrol status. You can check your qualification UCAS points here.
If your Level 3 qualification does not meet the minimum UCAS points, completion of a 1000 word essay would need to be undertaken as part of the selection process, for consideration of suitability, by Leeds Trinity University. If you do not hold a Level 3 qualification but can demonstrate having the qualifications and/or experience as detailed in Police Regulations 2003, Regulation 10, Annex BA (i.e. you are currently working as a PCSO) then consideration will be given to your application. In this instance, you will need to complete a 1000 word essay, as above.To undertake the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Uniform or Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Detective entry route you will need:
A Level 2 / GCSE (A*-C or 9-4) or equivalent qualification in both English Language and Mathematics.
A Level 3 qualification within the meaning of Section 3 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 or equivalent (i.e. two A/AS Levels Grade A to E, GNVQ/NVQ Level 3, BTEC Level 3 or equivalent), or be a serving Special Constable or PCSO having attained independent patrol status.
There are four options available to you:
The first is that you apply to join the , whereby you are employed as an Apprentice Police Constable, completing a degree in Professional Policing Practice during the three-year apprenticeship programme.
The second is that you apply to join the , where you will complete your training with West Yorkshire Police and upon completion you will be a qualified uniform Police Officer, specialising in roles such as Neighbourhood Policing or Response.
The third is that you apply to join the , where you will complete your training with West Yorkshire Police and upon completion you will be a qualified Detective Constable, specialising in roles such as Safeguarding or Criminal Investigations.
The fourth option is you can apply to any university who are offering the College of Policing licensed Degree in Professional Policing. The degree is achieved prior to applying to the Police Service and you would be recruited as a Police Constable who will have acquired all of the knowledge base relevant to performance of the role.
You can complete any college / A-level subjects as long as they are at Level 3.
The starting salary for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Uniform and Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) - Detective is £28,551 per annum increasing to a minimum of £30,957after two years and £46,044after six years if you remain at Police Constable rank (subject to performance).
Yes you will receive a student identity card. As well as being a full-time employed police officer, you are also a full-time student at Leeds Trinity University and will have access to their facilities such as the library, support networks, student union, etc.
During the foundation stage for the PCDA entry route you will learn the basic skills and knowledge that allows you to start working ‘on the streets’ alongside experienced uniform police colleagues and start putting your knowledge into practice.
In the final year of the programme you will work in one of three core policing roles, response policing, community policing or conducting investigations, where the learning is more tailored to those areas.
However, once you have successfully completed your probationary period and have been confirmed in post as a Police Constable, you will have the option to look for promotion or specialise in areas such as serious crime investigation, roads policing, operations, etc. in the same way as any other serving police officer. Policing really does offer you career opportunities that very few other jobs do.
After successfully completing your apprenticeship you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Professional Policing Practice.
During the first year of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) the training is split into a number of mandatory blocks of classroom-based learning and working on operational patrol with an experienced tutor constable to mentor you in your new role.
As such three weeks of your four weeks annual allocation will already be planned into the training programme. The fourth week will be for you to take once you are working on independent patrol. In years two and three you will have more freedom to choose when you would like to take your leave, although you will not be permitted to take leave during any of your formal blocks of learning.
Block learning will be delivered at the Carr Gate Police Training Complex, Wakefield, as well as at Leeds Trinity University campus, Horsforth, Leeds.
Our programmes have been designed to mix both classroom based theory with blocks of operational experience spread over a 12 month period. This will allow student officers to link practical experiences to theory and reflect on their practice. A blended learning approach will also be seen throughout the programme.
Professions support their members and help assure the public that discretion is exercised appropriately by setting clear conditions of membership. These commonly include using a published specialist knowledge base, commitment to an ethical code, keeping up to date with professional development and meeting an educational standard verified by nationally recognised qualifications. In policing, three of these elements of support for professional decision making have been introduced by the College of Policing. Policing does not, however, currently set education levels for roles or ranks which reflect the skills and knowledge required to meet current and future challenges.
There are many highly trained and experienced people working in policing. The profession does not, however, currently set education levels for roles or ranks which reflect the skills and knowledge required to meet current and future challenges. There is variable and inconsistent practice in terms of police education, with the result that some officers have no publicly recognised qualification. Such inconsistency risks undermining the professionalism of the Police Service. For most professions, a nationally recognised system of accreditation demonstrates that individuals have the required knowledge and skills for their role and thereby offers assurance to the public and to the members of the profession. The Police Service remains considerably out of kilter with other professions, particularly those which work to protect the public, with regard to its formal education standards.
One of the few national qualifications currently available to Police Constables, the largest group in the Police Service workforce, is set at Level 3. The College of Policing has examined the qualification levels alongside its recent analysis and reviews and together with stakeholders, has reached the view that Level 6 is an appropriate reflection of the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed by police officers to equip them to deal with complex modern day policing challenges.
If that was the only type of incident a police officer had to deal with, then a degree qualification would not be appropriate. Police officers, however, have to exercise personal judgement and responsibility and solve problems in complex, unpredictable contexts of all kinds, dealing with everything from child sexual exploitation to counterterrorism and cyber-crime.
People in policing need to demonstrate commitment and exercise good judgement, whether or not they have a qualification. Achieving a qualification does not prevent someone having common sense or a vocation for public service. A qualified person might feel able to challenge a majority view previously been accepted as common sense if it contradicted the best available evidence. The College of Policing and wider service’s view is that people working in policing are best equipped with a combination of advanced knowledge, skills and decision-making frameworks to support them in their vocation and in exercising their personal judgement.
Graduate-level skills and attributes (e.g. critical thinking and analysis, communication skills, reflection, independent decision making, problem solving in complex and unpredictable contexts and research skills) are already demonstrated on a daily basis by current members of the service and will become increasingly important in policing. Such skills will be essential in embedding evidence-based policing and will support a highly skilled workforce capable of working more autonomously and efficiently with less supervision.
A graduate qualification allows the public and other employers to easily recognise and compare the level of expertise of officers and staff. It may also prove useful when those currently working in policing retire or decide to leave the service. Higher education can also play a key role in supporting the development of skills such as tolerance, willingness to embrace alternative perspectives, moral and ethical reasoning and empathy.
A City and Guilds Level 2 SVQ/NVQ is equivalent to GCSE grades A* - C, Intermediate GNVQ, BTEC first certificate and as such is not at the Level 3 required.
For student officers on the PCDA course you will be provided with the Police uniform that you will be expected to wear during your training.
Page last reviewed January 2024.
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Salary
£28.55k per annum
