Police Officer (Non Degree Holder) - Degree Apprenticeship Route - PCDA
Police Officer (Non Degree Holder) – Degree Apprenticeship Route – PCDA
Description - The PCDA training focuses on practical learning and is specifically designed to prepare you for policing. There will be an element of classroom-based studying (with a partner university) throughout which will help to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to be a police officer. However, you’ll be employed as a police officer from day one and will spend the vast majority of your time on the frontline with experienced officers.
University involvement – Yes, 3 year apprenticeship with studying required both within training and your own time.
Qualification following completion – Level 6 Degree in Professional Policing Practice
Detective route – No, this is not a Detective route. Once you have accepted an offer to begin on this route, you are unable to switch to the detective route. However, after successfully completing your initial training and becoming a fully qualified, substantive police officer, you will have the opportunity to apply for the internal detective academy pathway. This will allow you to pursue a career as a detective after gaining the necessary experience and fulfilling your initial obligations as a police officer.
Training – In-house training and induction alongside university learning. You will not attend the University for learning, this will be delivered within WMP classrooms and virtually.
Do you want a career like no other? The opportunity to earn while you learn? To be part of a team working hard to reduce and resolve crime whilst engaging with local communities?
If so apply to join West Midlands Police as a Police Constable through our Degree Apprenticeship Programme today!
As a Police Officer you'll play a vital role in ensuring that the communities of the West Midlands are kept safe. We want people to join us who have a range of life experiences and backgrounds; it is important that we represent all of the communities that we serve.
You will be at the forefront of maintaining law and order, protecting the vulnerable, and ensuring the safety of our community. Becoming a police officer is a hugely rewarding career, although it can be challenging at times. It opens up opportunities to develop personally and professionally whilst making a positive difference to your community.
About the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship
This is a unique opportunity to train as a Police Constable, earning a great salary, whilst working towards a degree; a great opportunity if the traditional university route isn’t for you!
The majority of your learning will be completed ’on the job’ and digitally with your face-to-face classroom style learning which will be based in Birmingham. As you’re completing a level 6 qualification there is the expectation that part of the learning will be completed in your own time.
When you’re not studying you’ll be working alongside your colleagues as a Police Constable being the face of West Midlands Police in our local communities.
Ensuring our Police Officers have plenty of development opportunities is high on our agenda; once you have successfully completed the three year probationary period you will be able to consider further opportunities including promotion and specialisms within the Force. You could choose to work within Firearms, with our Dogs, with Complex Investigations, our Drone department or on Roads Policing; the possibilities are limitless!
For more information, check out our website here: Police Officer Recruitment | West Midlands Police (west-midlands.police.uk)
What’s in it for you?
You will start on £29,907, per annum and this will increase with yearly increments meaning you can earn up to £48,231 within 7 years of starting your training!
After successfully completing your 3 year studying and vocational learning apprenticeship, you will achieve a BA Degree in Professional Policing Practice!
Are you Eligible?
Qualifications
- Have both a Level 2 English and Level 2 Maths qualification (Grade C/4 or above) AND
- Have a Level 3 qualification which equates to a minimum of 80 UCAS points OR
- Have a Level 4 or 5 qualification
- OR if you are in the same calendar year as the completion of your Level 3/A Levels e.g. if you're due to finish these in June 2025, you will be eligible to apply from January 2025. Unfortunately, if you do not achieve your full Level 3/A Levels you will not be eligible for the PCDA route, but may be eligible for another route such as PCEP
Only final certificates for the above qualifications will be accepted, and these must be attached to your application.
Medical/Fitness:
When applying for the role candidates must be able/ready to run the bleep test to a level of 5.4
Residency and Nationality:
Candidates are required to be UK resident for the last three years. You must be a British, Irish or EEA National, alternatively you must have no restrictions on your right to live and work in the UK.
Are you ready to take the first step towards an exciting career with West Midlands Police? Submit your application today!
About Us
West Midlands Police is England’s second largest police force. Together we serve the 2.9 million people who call the region home - one of the youngest and most diverse populations in Europe.
Our vision is to be recognised as a police service that is big enough to cope with everything that is asked of us, while showing we are small enough to care about the things that really matter to people.
Together we will fulfil our mission of working in partnership, making communities safer.
Benefits for employees of West Midlands Police Force include:
- The opportunity to work in a wide range of policing departments
- Extensive training and development throughout your career
- Annual leave purchase scheme
- Generous pension scheme
- Family Friendly Employer - Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave and Childcare Vouchers - save up to £900 a year
- Access to EAP (Employer Assistance Programme)
- Social clubs, sports clubs, and regional events
- Discounts on gym memberships, travel and leisure, homeware and tech
- Blue light card membership eligibility - over 15,000 discounts from large national retailers, including special member events across the UK
- Police Mutual - access to affordable private healthcare, mortgage services and much more
Leave Entitlement - 22 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years
West Midlands Police is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We are committed to delivering a fair and inclusive recruitment process and ensuring that no applicant is disadvantaged because of their disability. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the be made to our recruitment process, please let us know. All information shared will be kept confidential.
Guaranteed Interview Schemes:
As a Disability Confident Leader and we operate a Disability Confident Interview Scheme. All candidates who share with us that they are disabled and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview*.
As a proud signatory of the Armed Services Covenant and Care Leaver Covenant, West Midlands Police also operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Military Service Leavers and Care Leavers who meet the minimum role requirements.
*There may be times we cannot interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example, seasonal and high-peak times. In these situations, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, we will select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.
Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.
Contact – For more information please contact careers@westmidlands.police.uk
Vetting – Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting and Counter Terrorism Clearance scrutiny prior to commencing their role, this will include a full background & financial disclosure as part of the vetting process.
Medical - Appointment to this role will be dependent upon successfully medical checks, which may include a drugs test and if required a fitness test.