North Yorkshire Police and The Open University have welcomed the first intake of student police officers onto their police constable degree apprenticeship programme.
The 31 brand new officers began their initial training at joint police and fire service headquarters in Northallerton on 29 June 2020.
The cohort are the first student officers to embark on a police constable degree apprenticeship both with North Yorkshire Police and The Open University. They were recruited during the force’s recruitment campaign in November 2019.
The new officers will combine their practical police officer training course with studying for their Bachelor of Science honours degree in Professional Police Practice, graduating in three years’ time.
Chief Constable Lisa Winward, said:
A huge welcome goes out to our first intake of degree apprentices to North Yorkshire Police. This is a first for the force and we are delighted to share this milestone with The Open University.
We chose the OU to provide our apprenticeship degrees as they offer a flexible study option for our new officers that is underpinned by a trusted and well-established academic organisation. It also means that with our large geographical spread, there will be consistency of access to learning regardless of where our student officers live or work.
There is no doubt that studying and working will be hard work, but the rewards will be immense. The new recruits can be confident they have chosen one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding careers and are joining a welcoming and supportive organisation where they can flourish.
I thank them for choosing North Yorkshire Police and wish them the very best of luck as they embark on their new careers. I hope they can look back with pride at being the first police constable degree apprentices for the force and I look forward to catching up with their progress over the coming months and years.
Dr Matthew Jones, Director of Policing Organisation and Practice at The Open University, said:
We are excited to welcome the first cohort students onto the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship. This is the result of almost a year of collaborative work between North Yorkshire Police and The Open University
Policing today is becoming increasingly complex, which is why officers joining policing from 2020 are required to combine degree level study with their professional practice
The OU is the leading provider of online/blended learning which will allow North Yorkshire officers to complete their studies flexibly around the demands of their professional and personal lives. This learning is highly interactive and incorporates a wide range of online tools. By learning in this way officers will become increasingly competent in their digital skills and capabilities – skills that they can apply to their interaction with the public in the 21st Century.
Julia Mulligan, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, added:
I send my congratulations to all those who have just started their new apprenticeships with North Yorkshire Police. This is an exciting time for them and us, embarking on a new way to bring the brightest and best to North Yorkshire Police. I wish them all the best of luck.
North Yorkshire Police offers three recruitment routes for new police officers including
- Degree apprenticeship
- Degree-holder entry – two-year accelerated route for those with a degree in any subject
- Pre-join degree – where you study independently for a policing degree before joining and then complete a reduced initial training route
