2. The Course Context

The College of Policing in consultation with UK police forces has introduced a qualification framework to professionalise the role of police officers at every rank. The result is that from the role of police constable upwards, the police service is becoming a graduate profession. To achieve this, the service now needs the assistance of the Higher Education sector to deliver two of the new programmes, one is the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the other is the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), on which you are enrolled. The qualification for the DHEP is the ‘Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice’ which is a practice-based qualification that provides student police officers with the skills and abilities needed in 21st century policing.

Gloucestershire Constabulary and the University of South Wales are working in collaboration to deliver the programme to all new GC police officer recruits and are fully committed to support students in meeting these needs both academically and Operationally. From your first day you will be both a serving Police Officer and a USW student. GC and USW will work closely at every stage of the programme and will share any necessary information that affects your development during your probationary period. Examples of information may include student engagement, assessments gradings, attendance and conduct (not an exhaustive list).

The DHEP is a two year, part time programme but you will be working full time, equivalent to 40 hours per week. In the event that you are afforded a part time working arrangement with the employer, the proportionate rate at which you study will be reviewed accordingly. When you achieve all academic and practice-based competencies you will be Fully Operationally Competent (FOC) and will have completed your probationary period with Gloucestershire Constabulary.

Your training will be delivered on Gloucestershire Constabulary premises and the initial six-month training phase will be delivered at:

Gloucestershire Constabulary The Sabrina Centre, B12, Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park, BERKELEY, GL13 9FB

USW is situated in various locations across South Wales, including the town of Pontypridd and the cities of Cardiff and Newport. Your course is run by the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education and as a University student, you have the opportunity to use facilities at all campuses.

Details of the facilities available at each of the campuses can be found on the Campus Facilities page, or by following this link: https://www.southwales.ac.uk/about/location/

In the event you need to locate a specific room at an University campus you can search for a room number using this link: http://findaroom.southwales.ac.uk/:

NB. Hyperlinks to key information are included throughout this document. To open the hyperlinks (usually shown in underlined coloured text) simply hold the Ctrl Key down and click the link with the left mouse button. Disclaimer: The information contained within this handbook is accurate at the time of publication; however, it is subject to change. www.southwales.ac.uk