Major milestone for North Yorkshire Police and The Open University

Major milestone for North Yorkshire Police and The Open University as first police constable degree apprentices start training

North Yorkshire Police and The Open University have welcomed the first intake of student police officers onto their police constable degree apprenticeship programme. 

The 31 brand new officers began their initial training at police headquarters in Northallerton on 29 June 2020.

The cohort are the first student officers to embark on a police constable degree apprenticeship both with North Yorkshire Police and The Open University. They were recruited during the force’s recruitment campaign in November 2019.

The new officers will combine their practical police officer training course with studying for their Bachelor of Science honours degree in Professional Police Practice, graduating in three years’ time.

Chief Constable Lisa Winward, said: “A huge welcome goes out to our first intake of degree apprentices to North Yorkshire Police. This is a first for the force and we are delighted to share this milestone with The Open University.

“We chose the OU to provide our apprenticeship degrees as they offer a flexible study option for our new officers that is underpinned by a trusted and well-established academic organisation. It also means that with our large geographical spread, there will be consistency of access to learning regardless of where our student officers live or work.

“There is no doubt that studying and working will be hard work, but the rewards will be immense. The new recruits can be confident they have chosen one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding careers and are joining a welcoming and supportive organisation where they can flourish. 

“I thank them for choosing North Yorkshire Police and wish them the very best of luck as they embark on their new careers. I hope they can look back with pride at being the first police constable  degree apprentices for the force and I look forward to catching up with their progress over the coming months and years.” 

Dr Matthew Jones, Director of Policing Organisation and Practice at The Open University, said: “We are excited to welcome the first cohort students onto the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship. This is the result of almost a year of collaborative work between North Yorkshire Police and The Open University

“Policing today is becoming increasingly complex, which is why officers joining policing from 2020 are required to combine degree level study with their professional practice

“The OU is the leading provider of online/blended learning which will allow North Yorkshire officers to complete their studies flexibly around the demands of their professional and personal lives. This learning is highly interactive and incorporates a wide range of online tools. By learning in this way officers will become increasingly competent in their digital skills and capabilities – skills that they can apply to their interaction with the public in the 21^st Century”.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, added: “I send my congratulations to all those who have just started their new apprenticeships with North Yorkshire Police. This is an exciting time for them and us, embarking on a new way to bring the brightest and best to North Yorkshire Police.  I wish them all the best of luck.”

North Yorkshire Police offers three recruitments routes for new police officers including

• Degree apprenticeship
• Degree-holder entry – two-year accelerated route for those with a degree in any subject
• Pre-join degree – where you study independently for a policing degree before joining and then complete a reduced initial training route
• Future recruitment opportunities will be advertised on the force website.

About The Open University

The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the university was founded with a clear purpose: to open up education to all. Since those beginnings in 1969, the OU has taught more than 2 million students worldwide and has over 170,000 current students.

Over 75% of students are in full-time or part-time employment, and 78 FTSE 100 companies sponsored staff on OU modules in 17/18.

The OU has had a unique educational partnership with the BBC since 1971, collaborating on a range of content across TV, radio and digital channels/platforms.  Each year the OU co-produces approximately 35 prime-time TV and radio series including, for TV, Blue Planet II, The Big Life Fix, Inside the Foreign Office, Hugh’s Wild West, The Prosecutors, School and Flatpack Empire.  And for Radio, commissions include, Economics with Subtitles, BBC Inside Science and The Bottom Line.  We achieved more than 351m viewing and listening events last year which prompted more than 1.2 million visits to our 17/18 broadcast related content on the OU’s free learning website, OpenLearn