Police apprentices land jobs after completing course run in partnership with Mansfield's West Notts College

Rachel Daughtry, Kyle MacDonald, Daniel Petter and Cameron Sheridan were offered employment in the organisation’s Information Services department after passing their 18-month apprenticeships with distinctions.

Rachel, Daniel and Cameron have been recruited as a customer service technicians, while Kyle has landed a role as an IT support engineer.

Nottinghamshire Police established its own apprenticeship programme in 2019, with the aim of recruiting a number of apprentices in various roles across the police service.

Rachel, 19, applied for an apprenticeship with Nottinghamshire Police after her job in retail was made redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “I was just browsing for work as I don’t like not doing anything and an advert for a customer service technician popped up. It sounded quite interesting so I thought I’d give it a go.

“I’m really pleased I did. I struggle in a classroom environment so doing an apprenticeship has been really beneficial, as you get to learn on the job.

“I’m really happy to have secured a permanent job as I don’t have to worry now about what’s next.”

Daniel, 21, said his customer service technician apprenticeship included a comprehensive spectrum of work, enabling him to develop a variety of skills.

He said: “It’s been a great experience. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and it’s improved my confidence no end, as I’ve needed to communicate with a variety of people across the organisation.

“When I started I thought everyone would be really formal, being a police force.

"But whilst everyone’s professional they’re also really friendly. It’s a great place to work.”

Cameron, 21, completed the same apprenticeship and said: “It’s been great, every day is different and brings a new challenge.

"It’s a role where you don’t know what’s going to happen next or who’s going to come in with a problem that needs fixing.

“It never gets tedious or boring so it was a great feeling when I was offered the job.

"I’ve got that financial stability now and so can for the future.”

Apprenticeships offer a valid alternative to university education allowing the apprentice a dynamic way of learning practical skills, that can enhance or build on long-term career prospects.

Being an apprentice gives an opportunity to earn while learning, often a welcome choice compared to university or further education, where students can end up with student debt.

Kyle, 19, who has landed a temporary role covering a colleague on maternity leave, said he had no regrets about choosing an apprenticeship over going to university.

He said: “It’s been brilliant, I didn’t want to go to university so an apprenticeship really appealed to me.

“It’s involved a lot of coursework and five exams – including a 40-hour exam spread across a week – so there’s been a lot to learn.

"But the thing I like about IT is you can have 20 years’ experience and still not know everything.

"You learn something new every day.”

Lee Aram, Nottinghamshire Police’s lead for incident management, who managed the four apprentices, said he couldn’t be prouder of the development of the apprentices over the last 18 months.

He said: “When they started, it was a new experience for everyone involved.

"The support provided by the IS department, Nottinghamshire Police and West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield cannot be overlooked.

“The apprentices have brought fresh ideas and put a face to IS.

"Their dedication and drive to put the customer first has become the norm and has been greatly received.

"Each of them really owned their projects and developed them in their own unique way.”

The apprenticeships were delivered in partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College and involved a mix of classroom learning and on-the-job training.

Gregg Thompson, of the employer engagement team at the college, said: “We’re really pleased to see Rachel, Cameron, Daniel and Kyle secure permanent employment with Nottinghamshire Police.

“A lot of apprentices at Nottinghamshire Police are being offered progression roles before their apprenticeships have finished, which just shows how successful this partnership is proving to be.”

Ron Lawrence, apprenticeship officer at Nottinghamshire Police, said it was an exciting time to enroll on an apprenticeship programme with the police.

He said: “I feel like a proud parent, look at what these four apprentices have achieved.

"They’ve secured themselves roles within the organisation and it says something about Nottinghamshire Police as an employer that they want to stay with us.”

Nottinghamshire Police currently has 30 apprentices working across multiple departments including cyber security, forensics, CSI, finance, business administration, contact management, accountancy, human resources and people services.

A further seven have completed their apprenticeships.

More opportunities are available, for more information, click here.