Notts Police apprentice describes ‘motivating’ experience as national week of celebration begins

Motivating, challenging and different every day are just some ways one Nottinghamshire Police apprentice has described her journey as a week-long national campaign kicks off.
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Over the past two years PC Eden Sisson has been on Nottinghamshire’s Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme and has been working in various departments and getting first-hand experience of what it is like to be an officer, all whilst working towards a degree.

Apprenticeships Week, led by the government, starts today, Monday, February 7, to showcase some of the incredible opportunities on offer within the force, as well as celebrating the successes of those currently working for the service.

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Eden said: “I saw the PCDA route advertised and immediately put in my application. My cousin is also a police officer so as well as having this positive experience, I knew from them that it was a career to enjoy and be proud of.

PC Eden SissonPC Eden Sisson
PC Eden Sisson

“I was slightly too eager though with my timing, and I wasn’t going to end up turning 18 by the time the interviews would take place. So, I waited until the next year, took a year out and found work.

“Being on the PCDA is definitely challenging but it is a great route. I really like it as in a way it condenses the standard path from university to work. You are learning on the job and, for me, I’m still young and it is extremely beneficial time-wise to be able to get this invaluable experience and my degree at the same time, rather than separating them and spending years doing each one after the others.

“I think that is the amazing thing about apprenticeships and especially those that Nottinghamshire Police offers, getting that work experience and qualification at the same time. It’s a win-win situation. I’m personally really looking forward to receiving my degree and knowing I’ve also had three years’ worth of experience at the end.”

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By finding the apprenticeship, the 20-year-old turned from her original career plan and says experiencing policing was what made her want to take up policing.

Eden was accepted onto the programme in 2020 and hasn’t looked back.

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Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “It is fantastic to hear of how our apprenticeships are benefiting not only those who take up the opportunities, but also the service as a whole and the departments they’re working in.

“I’m very much an advocate of offering these opportunities. I think it is a great way for people to get their foot in the door and get experience of policing, whether that is staff or as an officer through the PCDA, and no matter their background.

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“We are dedicated to being an ‘employer of choice’ and constantly improving diversity and these apprenticeships are another way we can do just that.

"It’s really pleasing to see that, in a lot of cases, it leads to full time employment with the teams when they have been impressed by an apprentice.”

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