Staffordshire University
Delivering transformative change in police training Police Constable Degree Apprenticeships
Contents Introduction
3
National Development of Police Officer Entry Routes and Educational Programmes
4
Staffordshire University as a Provider of Policing Education
6
Working in Partnership to Develop a Proposition for the West Midlands
7
Course Design and Implementation
9
Impact and Evaluation
13
Delivering results
15
Innovations from the Institute of Policing
16
Student Officer, PC Gurdeep Karra
17
Student Officer, PC Adam Tricklebank
18
Hot off the press
19
Investment in campus facilities
20
Lessons Learned
22
Authors: Dr John Wheeler - Associate Dean, School of Law, Policing and Forensics Julie-Anne Slevin - Projects Communications Officer, Institute of Policing 2
Professionalising Initial Police Training and Education in the West Midlands region This case study sets out to overview the journey undertaken for the transformation of initial police training in the West Midlands. For many years, across England and Wales the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP) was delivered within Police Forces by their own trainers to all new recruits. This comprised of 3-4 months fulltime, ‘upfront’ learning, following which trainees would be deployed across the various policing functions supported by a Tutor Constable. Whilst deployed, they would complete portfolios of competence, progressing through Independent Patrol Status (IPS) within 12 months and ultimately achieving Full Operational Competence (FOC) at the end of their 2-year probation. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) set out the long-term professional development strategy for policing in ‘Policing Vision 2025’ . This articulated the police service’s own plans for transformative change across the entirety of policing and identified the development of an improved service for the public as its core professional aspiration. In particular, the vision emphasised the critical reliance of the police service upon the quality of its people, and established the workforce principle that policing needs ‘to be delivered by a professional workforce equipped with the skills and capabilities necessary for policing in the 21st century’. In order to realise this strategy, in 2016 the College of Policing (CoP), the professional body representing policing in the UK, published a consultation document entitled the ‘Police Education Qualifications Framework’ (PEQF). This contained several ambitions to ‘professionalise policing’, such as aligning each rank within policing to achievement of a stated educational level, and for policing to become a graduate occupation. The latter represented a sea-change in initial police training since, until then to become a police officer required only qualification to Level 3. The ambition was that by 2020 all IPLDP programmes would be replaced by new entry routes into policing. In their document ‘PEQF PC Initial Entry Routes – Strategic Overview’ the College of Policing stated that there was a need to develop a new framework for the professional education of the police constable to:
• Achieve national standardisation
• Develop a practice-based degree-level education
• Get the professional level right
• Enhance the professional capacity of officers
• Develop a professional infrastructure
3
National Development of Police Officer Entry Routes and Educational Programmes The PEQF proposed three routes to becoming a police officer: 1.
Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) a. b.
Join a police force with level 3 qualifications and undertake a degree apprenticeship Leading to the qualification of BA (Hons) / BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice
2.
Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP)
3.
Pre-join degree programme
a. b.
a. b.
Join a police force with a degree and undertake a level 6 graduate conversion programme Leading to the qualification of Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice
Study an approved ‘pre-join’ degree at a UK HEI and then apply to join a police force Leading to the qualification of BA (Hons) / BSc (Hons) Professional Policing
Degree Holder Entry Programme
Any Degree
Pre-Join Degree
BSc (Hons) Professional Policing
PCDA Year 1
DHEP Year 1
Probation Year 1
Figure 1 The three routes to becoming a police officer from 2020 4
PCDA Year 2
Independent Patrol Status
Level 3 Qualification
Join Police Force
Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship
DHEP Year 2
Probation Year 2
Full Operational Competence
These three routes are summarised in Figure 1, which also indicates the points at which the trainee officers achieve Independent Patrol Status and Full Operational Competence.
PCDA Year 3
A further ambition of this approach was to widen the attractiveness of a career in policing to a broader range of recruits and to increase diversity within the police service. Following on from the publication of the PEQF, a number of activities were initiated: 1. A trailblazer group of employers (representatives from around 20 UK police forces) was convened to develop the Degree Apprenticeship standard for the role of Police Constable
2. The CoP set about developing a ‘National Policing Curriculum’ that set out the required knowledge and skills for an officer to be able to demonstrate at the end of their training. This was to be a common basis for all officers, regardless of which of the three entry routes they followed into policing
3. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published a call for applications for
the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund (DADF) that accompanied the launch of degree apprenticeship standards nationally.
In July 2016, a group of 10 universities came together to develop a bid for funding to support the development of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP, the level 6 graduate conversion programme). The group, led by Cumbria University, and comprising Chester, Liverpool John Moores, Buckinghamshire New, London Metropolitan, Open, Plymouth, Staffordshire, UCLAN and Wolverhampton Universities, was successful in securing a grant of £441,000 to support the work. Staffordshire University was approached directly to become a member of this group due to our significant experience as a lead provider in Higher Education of higher and degree level apprenticeships, together with our history of delivering undergraduate degrees in policing and successfully working with forces across the UK in a number of arenas.
Over the next two years, this group worked in collaboration with the trailblazer group and the CoP to develop: • The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship Standard – to facilitate this the HEI group had a representative on the trailblazer group • The high-level structures for the PCDA and DHEP based upon the expectations of the National Policing Curriculum, and Programme Specifications to support these • The End Point Assessment (EPA) in association with the CoP • The Quality Standard Assessment (QSA) processes that would be adopted by the CoP for approval of individual HE providers to deliver each of the new programmes In addition, several ‘information days’ were hosted by the CoP to consult with and provide briefings to other HEIs and Police Forces, within all of which the HEI group had a significant role.
5
Staffordshire University as a Provider of Policing Education Staffordshire University has a long history of working in collaboration with Police Forces in the region to provide, for example, forensic awareness training, leadership development and insight into topical research questions. In 2016, an agreement was signed with Staffordshire Police to form the ‘Staffordshire Forensic Partnership’ that provides a formal basis for research and student placement opportunities between the University and Police Force. The first undergraduate degree programme, BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminal Investigation, was launched around 15 years ago, with over 1000 students graduating from the course. Many of these have entered policing occupations, as trainee police officers, police staff investigators, scenes of crime officers, analysts and in a wide range of other roles. The appropriateness of the course for entry into police officer training was recognised by some forces by their admittance of graduates to an advanced point in their IPLDP courses. However, whilst focussed upon policing, this degree also intends to develop graduates as critical and reflective thinkers with the ability to research and develop new ideas; clearly being much more that a ‘training’ programme. In 2018, Staffordshire University gained approval from the CoP to deliver under licence the new BSc(Hons) Professional Policing (pre-join) degree, being one of the first universities in the UK to do so. As a member of the HEI group involved in developing a response to the PEQF, Staffordshire University was well-placed to respond to requests from Police Forces in developing their own thinking and approaches for adoption of the expectations of the PEQF. The University registered on the YPO (a central body for public sector procurement) framework in 2018 so that it would be notified when tender calls were published by each of the Police Forces in the UK and be able to submit responses to these. A partnership of four Police forces in the West Midlands – Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands – published a call for delivery of PCDA and DHEP courses during the latter half of 2018, with commencement scheduled for mid-2019. A team of staff was assembled at Staffordshire University to co-author the bid document, which was submitted in September 2019. As a member of the shortlist of candidates, a group from the University (including the Vice Chancellor) presented to a panel chaired by the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police. Following further exchange of information, Staffordshire University was named as ‘preferred bidder’ for the four Forces in November 2018. During this time, Staffordshire University engaged with a number of other forces, universities and the CoP in developing the understanding and evolution of police education and built a strong reputation as an innovative, early adopter.
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Working in Partnership to Develop a Proposition for the West Midlands region Following notification of ‘preferred bidder’ status, key staff were identified to lead and contribute to the development and negotiations. The four Forces identified a Strategic Project Lead to co-ordinate activities for them, and the University allocated the Associate Dean, School of Law Policing and Forensics, to provide leadership for the University input. In order to support all the necessary activities that would lead to formal agreement of the collaboration and implementation of the programmes, 12 workstreams were established to run concurrently: 1.
Governance
2.
Project Management
3.
Transition and delivery
4.
Business Change
5.
Workforce
6.
Recruitment
7.
Diversity and Inclusion
8.
Programme Design (Curriculum)
9.
Quality Assurance and End Point Assessment
10. IT 11. Communications 12. Apprenticeship Compliance Each workstream comprised key personnel from each of the 4 Forces (each was represented on every workstream) and the University, with a lead nominated from one of the 5 organisations. A Steering Group, chaired by the Pro Vice Chancellor of Staffordshire University, met regularly to evaluate progress and set targets and timescales. The workstreams met regularly from December 2018, with exceptional progress upon all aspects being made at pace. In order to achieve this, the University and Forces had to overcome significant cultural differences and established ways of working so that innovation and partnership could come to the fore. Over a relatively short time period strong and respectful working relationships were built that enabled the required progress to be made. This was a good example of teams ‘forming, storming, norming and performing’ to achieve common goals and exceptional outcomes. 7
As a result of much intensive activity, the contract between the four Forces and the University was signed in April 2019. The contract duration was for 6 years, with break clauses and potential for renegotiation at 2 and 4 years. The initial agreement was to commence the education of 1248 new officers during the first 24 months, with the first cohort starting in June 2019. Tables 1 and 2 show the monthly intakes by Force and the total accumulation of learners over the first two years, respectively.
Monthly intake by Force
Accumulated Total Student Numbers
Tables 1 and 2 The monthly intake by each force and accumulated projected total intake for PCDA and DHEP over the first two years of the West Midlands Consortium contract
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Course Design and Implementation Whilst much work had been undertaken at a national level to define the content and outcomes of the new programmes, each HEI-Force partnership was able to develop and define how theirs would be delivered, thus enabling adaptation to Force needs. From the outset it was intended that the West Midlands Region PEQF Partnership adopt a radical approach to the design of the courses, moving away from the traditions of all learning being face-to-face and upfront, then followed by deployment in the workforce. Instead an innovative blended learning approach, comprising a series of periods of off-the-job learning by an effective combination of face-to-face delivery within the force area and online learning, followed by relevant deployments to facilitate the transfer of theory into practice, see Figure 2. PCDA Year 2 and DHEP Years 1 and 2 follow a similar pattern of delivery, with shorter HEI-led learning blocks at the beginning of Year 2 on both programmes. Year 3 of the PCDA consists of core conditional modules that enable student officers to focus upon either Intelligence and Investigation (non-uniformed) or Roads, Response and Community (uniformed) Policing. Throughout Year 1 talent-mapping is undertaken, alongside discussions with the student officer, to understand where deployment may occur following completion of the course. During Year 2 the student officer will begin to specialise in an area of policing within the Research Methods module, by writing a proposal for their Evidence-Based Project (EBP) that will be undertaken in Year 3 as part of the End-Point Assessment (EPA). At this point, the student officer will have achieved Full Operational Competence (by the end of Year 2) and be on deployment within their force. The EBP is intended to enable the student officer to undertake a piece of work that will have impact upon their force and/or community through action-based research, case study analysis, comparative design analysis, or literature-based analysis of a problem or topical issue in their field of policing. The delivery models developed for both the PCDA and DHEP differ significantly from the norm in higher education, in that engagement with students continues for the full 12 months of each year and that intakes may occur at any point, as shown in Table 1. This has meant that adaptations to the ways of working of both academic and support staff have been necessary, and also specific amendments to regulations to enable, for example, progression of a student officer from one level to the next whilst awaiting confirmation of their marks.
Core Rotation Modules are taken in any order as agreed with the Force – one week off-the-job learning followed by deployment in the relevant function: • Investigative Practice • Information and Intelligence Management • Policing Communities • Response Policing Two online modules run throughout the year to support student officers in their studies and broaden their knowledge of the policing environment.
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Start of Year 2 WEEKS Force Training
4 WEEKS Introduction to Policing Practice
2 WEEKS Force Training
1 WEEK Module Rotation
Independent Patrol Status Professional Development including PDP (15 credits) Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention (15 credits)
9 WEEKS Work-based Learning 1
1 WEEK Annual Leave
1 WEEK Module Rotation 2
9 WEEKS Work-based Learning 2
Independent Patrol Status Professional Development including PDP (15 credits) Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention (15 credits)
1 WEEK Annual Leave
IPS
1 WEEK Module Rotation 3
10 WEEKS Work-based Learning
Independent Patrol Status Professional Development including PDP (15 credits) Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention (15 credits)
1 WEEK Module Rotation 4
10 WEEKS Work-based Learning 4
Professional Development including PDP (15 credits) Understanding Crime and Crime Prevention (15 credits)
Figure 2 Generalised PCDA Year One as an example of the integration of off-the-job learning followed by workplace deployment
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Development of the structure and delivery plan was undertaken through partnership between the University and four Forces. Planning meetings were held under the Programme Design (Curriculum) workstream to establish a coherent and agreed proposal that would function across the region. These were then approved for delivery by the College of Policing and Staffordshire University quality procedures in the spring of 2019. Between January and June 2019, course materials were written and delivered by a team of staff employed on part-time contracts. However, in order to deliver the requirements of the West Midlands Region PEQF Partnership, in June 2019, Staffordshire University established the ‘Institute of Policing’ as a new department within the School of Law, Policing and Forensics.
This enabled a new team of staff to be recruited, including: • Director • Deputy Director • Senior Lecturer x 4 • Lecturer x 20 • Work-based Education Officer x 6 • Recruitment Development Officer x 3 • Online Learning Technologist • Programme Manager and Programme Assistant Further to this, January 2021 saw the appointment of an additional 14 academic staff, 2 Work-based Education Officers, an Online Learning Technologist and a Workforce Planner. Clearly, there is a substantial team required to deliver both the PCDA and DHEP across the West Midlands. Due to the size and significance of the Partnership, a comprehensive Governance Structure was developed to ensure clear responsibilities and lines of reporting were in place (Figure 3).
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Regional Governance Group: PCCs CCs
To be engaged to agree variation or changes to contract and review updates as required.
Regional Joint Ops and Programme Board:
Board of Governors: Chancellor and Pro-Vice Chancellors University Management
Staffordshire University Executive Team:
Force Executives PCC representation
Reporting on contract performance
Deans, Associate Deans, Directors, Heads of Department School Management
PEQF Regional Executive Governance Board: Regional Executives HEI Executives, ACCs
Contract Management, compliance and ongoing development.
PEQF Regional Strategic Operations Board: Regional PEQF Contract Manager Dean of Law, Policing and Forensics Staffordshire University Director of Policing Force Strategic Leads for People and OD PCC Representation QA Curriculum Board Representation – by invitation Business Services Representation – by invitation Enablers Group Representation – by invitation College of Policing Police Federation and Staff Associations Management Information for Contract Compliance
Regional PEQF Enablers and Business Services Group:
PEQF Quality Assurance and Curriculum Board:
Regional PEQF Contract Manager, Finance, Procurement, Workforce Planning, Recruitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Communications, Org Development, IT
Staffordshire University Director of Policing Regional Heads of L and D, Regional PEQF Contract Manager, College of Policing, Senior Trainers, Assessors, Tutors and Lecturers.
By invitation: Information Mgt., Business Transformation.
Local Force PEQF Board: Staffs, PEQF Continuous Improvement Board; Warks and West Mercia
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Figure 3 West Midlands Region PEQF Governance Structure
Impact and Evaluation
To date, 1243 student officers have been recruited and commenced programmes with the four Police Forces of the West Midlands region (see Table 3) between June 2019 and November 2020 across 40 different intake points. It was anticipated that a minimum of 60% of the intake would be for the PCDA (Level 3 entry) and a maximum of 40% on the DHEP (degree entry); recruitment currently stands at 62% and 38%, respectively. The number of withdrawals from the courses is remarkably low, with only 2.10% of starters, a total of 26 student officers leaving their course. The majority of these have cited that they have decided against pursuing a career in policing. The number of intermissions is also low, with 20 students taking a break, mainly due to injury or illness. In addition, whilst most student officers are still in the first year of the course, progression to year 2 stands at 100% for those that have reached this point in their studies. This data is testament to the quality of the courses, the strength and closeness of the partnership, and the support provided to student officers by all organisations.
Current Recruitment Numbers
Number of withdrawals
Staffordshire PCDA
155
7
2
Staffordshire DHEP
69
1
0
Warwickshire PCDA
45
0
1
Warwickshire DHEP
18
0
0
West Mercia PCDA
110
3
0
West Mercia DHEP
40
0
0
West Midlands PCDA
462
4
8
West Midlands DHEP
344
11
9
Regional PCDA
772
14
11
Regional DHEP
471
12
9
Total
1243
26
20
2.10%
1.60%
Force and Entry Route
Percentage
Number of Cumulative Withdrawals Intermitters total by force (%)
Table 3 Recruitment, Withdrawal and Intermission data June 2019 to November 2020
10
1
3
32
4.5 1.4 0.0 0.0 2.7 0.0 0.9 3.2
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Ahead of a planned region-wide ‘Year One Review’, West Midlands Police undertook their own review of the provision across their force in July 2020. The West Midlands Police review identified a number of areas for further investigation in order that students may be more knowledgeable about law and legislation and have more scenario-based learning prior to their first deployment. These findings were integrated into the region-wide review and further developed to gain input and understanding from the Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia Police forces. In October 2020, the findings and recommendations of this were published under four themes: 1.
Course Content, Structure and Delivery Model
2.
Course Delivery and Staffing
3.
Student Achievement
4.
Quality Assurance and Evaluation
This has been followed up with the joint proposal of new delivery structures and revisions to the initial learning blocks in response to feedback received from student officers, delivery and other staff and police and academic staff. The DHEP has been redesigned to allow specialism in either uniformed or non-uniformed policing, and conform to a new 20 credit modular framework being rolled out at Staffordshire University. These changes were implemented in January 2021 with West Midlands Police and during early 2021 with the other Forces. In addition, enhanced levels of personal tutor support for students on both the PCDA and DHEP have been put in place, and extensive work is underway developing the process and support for the Evidence-based Project and End Point Assessment. The recent evolution and development of our courses gives a clear statement about the strength and effectiveness of the Partnership, in that it is able to jointly undertake a critical evaluation of itself and move forward with an improved proposition that will undoubtedly have a positive impact upon police education and policing in the West Midlands Region.
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Delivering results Our Policing Virtual Recruitment Event was the most successful Staffordshire University online recruitment event ever, with a 30% higher conversion rate that is typical of online events. Working with our partner forces to gather feedback and further improve the experiences of potential recruits, an evening event was delivered in early 2021. The platform overview can be seen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1k_4F8zLOas.
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Innovations from the Institute of Policing Staffordshire University’s Institute of Policing was founded in 2019 to manage the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeships and Degree Holder Entry Programmes. Staff from across the Institute have a balance of policing and academic expertise. And with many staff undertaking apprenticeships and CPD programmes themselves, there is no doubt that they understand the challenges faced by student officers. During the last two years, there have been many innovations to come from the Institute but COVID-19 put our adaptability to the test. We worked around the clock to ensure that our partners could continue to recruit in a time when police officers were in high demand.
• Adapted inductions prevent COVID disruption • Work Based Education Officers take on PCDA pastoral care • Partnership working – providing added value
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Student Officer, PC Gurdeep Karra
A conversation with a West Midlands Police officer based at Birmingham Airport led PC Gurdeep Karra to make the life-changing decision to switch careers. Gurdeep had always loved the idea of policing but ended up following a different path and after struggling with some formal education, he worried that the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship might not be for him, but he took the plunge and applied last year. The 23-year-old successfully joined our three-year training programme in June 2020 and is now on his placement at Dudley NPU, forming part of the Halesowen neighbourhood police team.
“Some people never really know what they want to do from a young age, the time came for me when I was in high school and joined the public services course. From there I knew I wanted to work within a public service job but it was very difficult to decide a career path. As time went on and I started to mature I knew I wanted to be in the police, but the opportunity wasn’t available when I was in school so I decided to go to college and continue with the public services course. “I then joined Birmingham Airport where I was for four years and met so many different people. I got to know people within different departments and started to feel at home, this was until I started engaging more with officers that worked at the airport and was told about the opportunity to join the PCDA route. I knew from that point I needed to look into it more and realised that this is what I want. Although people kept telling me the process is going to be long and that I wouldn’t like it, I stuck it out and now look where I’ve ended up! I’m eight months in and I most definitely do not regret joining, being a police officer has changed my mentality and has definitely improved me as a person! “I’m the first out of my close family that have joined, so it’s all new to me! There is no typical day in the police, every day is different. Some days it can be hard and some days it can be easy and with a strong team behind you and the support of both those colleagues and the force overall, there’s help for any situation you may be in. “The university side of things is obviously fairly new but the lectures are delivered by people who know what they are talking about as most of them are ex officers from a high rank. Their experiences may benefit our development and they offer great support. It is very challenging having to balance the job alongside university work, but it is all about organisation.
“I originally struggled as academically I’m poor but recently I have been told I have dyslexia and the support given by the force alongside the university has helped me so much, especially when my confidence was at a low. This will help me better myself and operationally provide me with support. The university is brilliant, they do one to one support sessions for me, which I am grateful for. As each session goes past, I gain more and more confidence! So I am proof that the support is there if you struggle academically or feel you may have any disability, such as dyslexia. Definitely don’t hide it and try to muddle through! “As a student there are good days and there are bad days. I see the bad days as more of a learning curve and take any constructive feedback, as it will help me get better as an officer and improve for the next time. The good days are the best days as you can go home and be happy with what you have done and the difference you have made that day! And be proud! “I joined the police as I’ve always wanted to make a difference and I’ve always felt the need to put others first and help people. If I didn’t join I honestly do not know what job I would’ve gone for. This is a career for life – there are ample opportunities within different departments. I’m hoping after my probation to either become a detective or even a part of the regional organised crime unit. “My most memorable moment would be the day that I helped someone in a mental health situation and although it was tough and there were raised voices I did not once raise my voice as I genuinely wanted to help. Being able to help someone who is in a tough place and talk with that person will make you see things differently and will most definitely help you develop and fully understand how situations are dealt with!” 17
Student Officer, PC Adam Tricklebank
After spending 19 years as an electrician it’s not the obvious choice to take on a new apprenticeship and start over as a student police officer, but that’s exactly what one of our newest officers decided to do last year. PC Adam Tricklebank is now nine months into his police career and hasn’t looked back. The 36-year-old joined our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) in May 2020 and began the three-year programme that sees student officers combine the practical police training with formal study, in partnership with Staffordshire University, which leads to a BSc degree in policing. Adam, from Redditch, has moved around the force as part of his training and is currently based in Coventry.
“After being an electrician for 19 years, I knew that I wanted to do something more challenging and needed to make a change. I wanted to get a job that I could feel passionate about, to help people and to make a difference. I had always been interested in policing and when the government announced they would be recruiting 20,000 new police officers I knew that I had to apply. “Since starting in May last year I have absolutely loved every minute. I have made new friends and have met so many new people who are willing to help me learn. I have completed rotations with Force CID and with Response allowing me to complete my independent portfolio. I am now half way through my third rotation with Force Support Unit in Coventry, which is different again. Soon I will be moving to a neighbourhood team and can’t wait to see
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what new challenges that will bring. I’ve had so many different experiences so far, from arrests to helping people in need. The photo shows me with a car I seized because the driver had no insurance and no licence during one of my early rotations. “Completing a degree at the same time as working is not easy and can even be overwhelming at times but we are given time in between rotations to do this and at the end of my apprenticeship I will have a degree and that is something I never thought I would have. “The time is flying by and I learn something new every single day. I do not regret joining and would recommend it to anyone who wants to work hard and to challenge themselves to be something better. I believe this is one of the most rewarding jobs there is.”
Hot off the press
Staffordshire Police stories Police recruitment drive for new officers
https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2019/december/police-recruitment-drive-for-new-officers/
Almost 50 new officers start their policing journey with Staffordshire Police https://www.tamworthinformed.co.uk/new-officers-staffs-police/
Thirty-six new student officers joined Staffordshire Police
https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2020/september/thirty-six-new-student-officers-joinedstaffordshire-police/
Rookie police officers learn about social distancing on their first day in the job https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/rookie-police-officers-learn-social-4005110
Warwickshire Police stories: Warwickshire Police Student Officers support road policing operation, Rugby
https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/news/warwickshire/news/2020/january/warwickshire-police-student-officers-support-roadpolicing-operation-rugby/
Warwickshire Police Student Officers support road policing operation, Nuneaton
https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/news/warwickshire/news/2019/october/warwickshire-police-student-officers-support-roadpolicing-operation-nuneaton/
West Mercia Police stories: West Mercia Police has ‘highest number of officers since 2012’ as 76 more join the ranks
https://bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/news/west-mercia-police-has-highest-number-of-officers-since-2012-as-76-more-join-theranks-18925/
Son, 21, follows mum’s footsteps to become cop at same West Mercia Police station https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/son-21-follows-mums-footsteps-18023678
West Midlands Police stories: Chief Constable drops in to meet 24 new student officers online https://twitter.com/WMPolice/status/1257265601870954496
Record number of student officers start in July
https://west-midlands.police.uk/news/recruitment-record-number-student-officers-start-july
Regional stories: Civic students proud to be on the frontline
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/news-opinion/staffordshire-university-civic-students-proud-4138623 19
Investment in campus facilities At Staffordshire University we’re committed to providing all students, colleagues and visitors with the best possible experiences – whether it’s learning on campus, working on campus or visiting our campus – which is why we’re continually investing in our campus transformation projects. The Catalyst
A flagship £40m physical and virtual hub which aims to connect employers, students and apprentices from across the Midlands and beyond. Located at our Leek Road Campus in Stoke-on-Trent on the former Brindley building site, The Catalyst will be a unified building, bringing together social, study, teaching and support functions. Interwoven with these, the building will also be home to the University’s apprenticeship and Business School programmes featuring innovative teaching and learning spaces, a flexible events space as well as new catering provisions.
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Nursery and Forest School
Worried about childcare arrangements whilst you study with us? Don’t be. We’ve got that covered with our wellestablished Nursery facility at the Stoke-on-Trent campus located directly opposite the Stoke–on-Trent train station and a 5-minute walk from our Leek Road and College Road sites. Our Day Care is for all children aged 0-5 years and is open five days a week, Monday to Friday from 8.00am-6.00pm. Our nursery team are vastly experienced and highly qualified professionals who facilitate valuable learning opportunities to promote your child’s development in-line with the Early Years Curriculum. Find out more at: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/about/facilities/nursery We also have brand new nursery and forest school under construction at our Leek Road Site coming in January 2022 offering a sustainable place of early years learning with a connection to the immediate landscape and nature reserve.
Find out more about current campus transformation and investment at: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/about/facilities/campus-transformations
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Lessons Learned The journey from the proposal of the PEQF in 2016, to having more than 1200 student officers on new programmes across the West Midlands region in November 2020 has been immense and greatly significant. It has required enormous input, negotiation and agreement from a great number of people who have, in turn, developed strong and effective working relationships between the Partners. In addition, it has brought about significant cultural change and new ways of working for all members of the Partnership. Be in no doubt that this was a major undertaking and has been a massive achievement. There are, of course, several things that have been learned along the way, which are worth sharing here: 1. Involve the right people from the outset – in such a large undertaking this is everyone. Whilst assignment and delegation of activities is necessary, people at all levels and functions of each organisation need to be informed and engaged in the developments, from Chief Constable to Police Constable, from Vice Chancellor to Admin Officer. Even if they are not part of it initially, there will be a time when they are needed and will need to be up-to-date and engaged so they can play their part. Also, reduce the length of lines of reporting so that messages at both the strategic and operational levels do not get lost in translation or adapted to an individual’s own interpretation.
2. Prioritise partnership development When large organisations begin to work together, they each bring their own culture, reticence and preconceptions. All of these can make the early stages difficult and challenging. Investment in the development of interpersonal relationships, even if these need to be carefully managed, pays dividends in the long run.
3. Don’t be afraid to innovate For us, it would have been very easy to take the old course and adapt it into a shape that fitted the expectations of the College of Policing. However, we collectively took the opportunity to change the way in which police education and training is undertaken in the West Midlands region, with an emphasis on transferring knowledge to practice, and the use of blended learning throughout the learning journey. Not only has this produced a much better product in terms of its quality and flexibility, but also allowed us to adapt easily by moving fully online when the COVID lockdown was imposed in March 2020.
4. Communicate Clearly from Day One Due to the enormous amount of activity involved in setting up the partnership and developing courses for implementation in around 8 months and then intensively writing and delivering learning materials once the courses launched, the feedback on developments and evaluation processes was not communicated effectively with all involved. This resulted in some perceived gaps in progress and success, causing larger issues to develop. Once these had been identified it was easy enough to come up with a solution, but a clear communication process would have allowed much quicker resolutions to be found and prevented many issues from arising.
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Policing Vision 2025 (2015), available at https://www.npcc.police.uk/documents/Policing%20Vision.pdf, accessed 26/11/2020 ii. Police Education Qualifications Framework Consultation (2016), available at https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/ Learning/Policing-Education-Qualifications-Framework/Documents/PEQF_consultation_final_290116.pdf, accessed 26/11/2020 iii. Ref this iv. Police Constable (Degree) Apprenticeship Standard, available at https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/ apprenticeship-standards/police-constable-degree/, accessed 26/11/2020 i.
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