Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)
OverviewThe Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route into policing is an exciting opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds to obtain a degree whilst working and earning a full salary as a police officer.
The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme is delivered in partnership with the De Montfort University and includes classroom delivery, practical application and tutorship. The programme will be split between the De Montfort University and our police headquarters in Enderby.
You will be classed as a full-time student and will be able to take advantage of student benefits.
PCDA three year training plan
During the three year programme you will progress from academic level 4 to level 6 (degree level) and be developed to be a highly-skilled, multi competent police constable, reflecting the increasing complex demands required of the police service.
As a degree apprentice, you are employed as a police officer from day one. The degree will run alongside your police training for three years. You will be doing police training and academic work at the same time. You will also be completing work based assessment and exams, this means you will do the job of a regular police officer.
You will be based between force headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire and the university during the initial training periods. The apprenticeship programme will enable rotations around various key departments in the second year and you will be able for specialisms in the third year.
Apprentices are not required to contribute towards the cost of their degree but remain in probation for the three year duration of the programme.
Training and cohort
Your anticipated start date for training is September 2025. Your training will last for 30 weeks and throughout this period your leave will be pre-booked.
If you have any prior holidays or arrangements, throughout this period, we will not be able to accommodate these and will not be able to offer you a place on this cohort.
We only have a limited number of places for this cohort and will be selecting the highest scoring candidates.
Career progression
Once you’ve successfully completed your probationary period (2 years for PCEP / 3 years for apprenticeship scheme), you have the opportunity to progress up through the following ranks:
- Police Constable / Detective Constable - this is the starting rank for police officers
- Sergeant / Detective Sergeant - the first supervisory rank. Most sergeants are responsible for a team of constables
- Inspector / Detective Inspector - inspectors typically oversee a shift of constables and sergeants.
- Chief Inspector / Detective Chief Inspector - typically responsible for managing a department with a specific geographical area or for the delivery of a policing service
- Superintendent / Detective Superintendent - typically responsible for a large department within Leicestershire Police, for example, Corporate Services or Specialist Operations Training
- Chief Superintendent / Detective Chief Superintendent - typically responsible for a specific function within Leicestershire Police, for example, Local Policing or Crime & Intelligence
- Assistant Chief Constable - Mainly responsible for a specific function or business area within Leicestershire Police, for example, Crime and Operations
- Deputy Chief Constable - act as deputy for the Chief Constable, handling the running of Leicestershire Police and supporting the Chief Constable Chief Constable - responsible for the effective running of Leicestershire Police
As a police constable, you’ll also be able to apply for specialist units like the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), firearms, child protection, cyber crime, roads policing, dog handling and many more...
Recruitment process/timetable
At the end of each stage of the recruitment process, you will be notified by email whether or not you have been successful and are therefore eligible to proceed to the next stage. You can also log in to view your application status. If you have not received an email, you should check your junk mail/filter settings in case the email/emails get filtered by your spam software.
- Eligibility Questions, National Sift and Application form
- National Online Assessment (we're accepting score transfers, see below)
- National Force interview and presentation
- Pre-employment checks and fitness assessment
Key dates and times
Below are some important dates setting out the time frames for this recruitment process:
Recruitment open: 13 January 2025 at 9.30
Recruitment close: 2 February 2025 at 23.55
National Sift: Will be confirmed with you
National Online Assessment Centre: 5 March 2025
National interview and presentation: April/May 2025
Pre-employment checks: June 2025
Cohort start dates: September 2025
You must be available to complete all of the stages. If you are not available for any stages of the process for any reason, for example a pre-arranged holiday, we may not be able to process your application as alternative dates may not be available.
Apply/Recruitment events
Join us to find out more about the role of a police officer, first-hand what it is like to be a police officer, and about the recruitment process and training. You will have the opportunity to meet serving officers, hear about their experiences, and find out about career opportunities open to you if you join us.
Registration is required - Have a look at the timetable below and register for the event you wish to attend.
Please note - Once you have attended an event you will be provided with the link to the application form to be able to apply.