UEL welcomes first cohort of police apprentices

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Published

29 July 2021

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University of East London is delighted to welcome the first students onto our new Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship Programme (PCDA), in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police and the force's learning partner, Babcock International Group. 

Apprenticeship options are widely available at UEL, with the latest offering set to welcome new cohorts every month as they begin life with the country's largest police force. 

I am so pleased that this partnership with the Met Police and Babcock is now up and running, as I know a huge amount of work has gone into it from so many colleagues." said Professor Mohammad Ali, Dean of Royal Docks School of Business and Law. Our ethos is all about preparing those who study with us to be ready for the challenges of professional life, and helping to prepare the next generation of police officers is a privilege. We have some superb staff involved on the teaching side, and I look forward to seeing the journey of the new recruits from classroom to field, where they will proudly serve our community and city,"

Professor Mohammad Ali, dean of Royal Docks School of Business and Law, said.

Following an initial 16-week block during which time apprentices will receive both online and face-to-face teaching, the cohort will then head back to the field before returning for block two in October. 

The PCDA, which formally recognises policing as a profession, will provide new recruits with the knowledge and skills police officers demonstrate every day. 

"The apprenticeship programme provides an exciting opportunity to gain a widely recognised degree qualification, acknowledging the extraordinary things our officers do every day," said the Met's Director of Learning, Alex Walsh.

"Joining the Met as a police constable through our apprenticeship programme really is an exciting opportunity and one we hope will help encourage Londoners - particularly those from our Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities - to think about a career in policing."

Elsewhere, Ellie Bull from our School of Health, Sport and Bioscience was pictured in the Washington Post this week, delivering Covid vaccinations to the homeless in Fullwell Cross. 

Ellie is an apprentice Nursing Associate and one of the very first who will go on to work full-time in primary care at the end of her two-year course. 

As part of National Apprenticeship Week events have been taking place across the University, highlighting the benefits of apprenticeships. They include a session UEL staff delivered to Year 12 and 13 students from Newham Sixth Form College as they plan for their next steps into higher education and the world of work. 

Staff were also invited to a discussion with Valery Small, Senior Apprenticeship Manager at Barts Health NHS Trust, where Valery shared her views and experience in the benefits of hiring apprentices into the workplace.

For more information on apprenticeships at UEL, please visit our dedicated page.

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