Staffordshire University joined forces with Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia, and West Midlands police to deliver innovative, contemporary and high-quality police education and training.
All new police recruits across the partnership forces will gain a Staffordshire University award as part of their work-related police constable training.
Staffordshire University created their Institute of Policing (IoP), within the School of Law Policing and Forensics, to deliver dedicated expertise to Student Officer training. The IoP team, a mixture of highly experienced former police professionals and academics, have worked with police colleagues to deliver digital and flexible teaching, ensuring that Student Officer’s can fit their studies around their frontline work.
Developed in line with the national standards set by the College of Policing (CoP), the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and the Degree Holder Entry Programme allow new recruits to earn while they learn with their chosen police force.
Toni Williams, who is leading the West Midlands Police recruitment project, said: “We are going through challenging times, both as a nation and as a force, and so to see so many people deciding to pursue a police career with us is inspiring.
“We have had a fantastic response to our new degree entry programme over the past 12 months and the efforts to attract and recruit new officers continue, even in these challenging times.”
Professor Ieuan Ellis, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Place and Engagement at Staffordshire University, said: “As a civic university and a leading provider of flexible and digitally-enabled learning, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our region and improving quality of life locally, regionally and nationally.
“We are delighted to be educating and training the region’s future workforce to meet the changing needs of 21st century policing. We have an established track-record of delivering successful policing and forensic science degrees and are highly experienced in preparing students for successful careers with the police. Our courses give flexibility to balance the demands of front-line policing alongside the challenges of undertaking degree level study.”
Applications are open across all four forces and those interested in training as a Student Officer can find out more here.
Follow @IoPStaffs on Twitter for the latest updates on the partnership.