Our first cohort of Police Constable Degree Apprentices graduate

On the 14 October, our first 29 Police Constable Degree Apprentices from North Yorkshire Police, graduated at The Convention Centre in Harrogate.

Stakeholders from the Open University’s policing team and Chief Constable Lisa Winward, formed part of the academic procession on stage as we celebrated this seminal moment in both the careers of the graduating officers and the partnership between the Open University and North Yorkshire Police.

These graduates have shown incredible resilience and tenacity in the first three years of their careers and have provided a very high benchmark for our current cohorts on the PCDA.

We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them and were delighted that many of them had family and friends in attendance to cheer them on and celebrate their achievement. 

The event also highlighted just how closely both organisations have worked with each other over the past four years, with the same shared objective of ensuring that each officer had the support needed to succeed and attain the knowledge, skills and behaviours for them to serve their communities effectively.

Importantly, this does not mark the end of their contributions to the PCDA. Some apprentices already have dates in their diaries to present  findings from their third-year evidence-based research projects to internal and external stakeholders. Project titles include research into the causes of victim disengagement in Domestic Abuse cases, to specific analysis of crime demand in coastal areas. 

Finally, plans are already in place for these graduates to mentor future PCDA officers so that they can add another layer of support, and no doubt share invaluable advice to officers who are following in their footsteps.

We look forward to following their policing careers and have no doubt they will continue to serve their communities with distinction.