A careers event that showcased the breadth of opportunities with Nottinghamshire Police led to dozens of students expressing a desire to join the force.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford visited Vision West Nottinghamshire College and spoke to students about the range of jobs available and various entry routes.
He was joined at the college’s Derby Road campus in Mansfield by police and crime commissioner Caroline Henry, who spoke about policing, community needs and current issues with funding and resources.
The event included a question-and-answer session that enable students to learn more about the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, which sees applicants join as a constable and undergo degree-level training over a period of three years.
Other careers were covered such as the 999 call dispatcher which is open to applicants aged 18 and over. The role involves taking calls from members of the public concerning emergency incidents such as violent crime and road traffic collisions.
The role of detective constable was profiled, with students discovering that it was open to university graduates and involved a two-year programme supported by off-the-job learning to gain a Level 6 graduate diploma in professional policing practice.
Apprentice officer Ron Lawrence MBE, PC Eden Session and careers advisor Nigel Best were also on the panel speaking about their own roles within Nottinghamshire Police and the opportunities which exist across the county, as well as at the force’s headquarters near Arnold.
The session was attended by students learning about uniformed public services and the feedback was extremely positive.
Teacher James Maosa said: “So far, we have up to 50 students who are keen to join the police force. They found this event very informative and it will help them prepare for interviews, physical assessments and focussing on the academic requirements.
“Information is key when preparing for careers. Hearing the panel’s personal experiences can only be passed through such visits. We look forward to hosting Nottinghamshire Police again to such events.”
Uniformed protective services year 1 diploma student Reece Budd, 16, said: “I found this event really helpful. Originally I was really struggling to find opportunities in the police force. I knew that I wanted to join but I was stuck with how to get in. Everyone was really helpful today especially with apprenticeships information.
“I didn’t know much about apprenticeships before the careers event and now I do. I’m striving to get an apprenticeship and I’m hoping to get some work placement very soon too.”
It is an exciting time to be joining Nottinghamshire Police. Home Office figures show the force had 2,226 officers at the end of September 2021, up by 247 (12.4 per cent) since October 2019, swelling its officer ranks to its highest number for a decade.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said the force had embarked on an intensive recruitment drive and that it was continuing to become more representative of the communities it serves.
He said: “It was my pleasure to attend West Nottinghamshire College and speak to students about the differing routes into policing and I am pleased the feedback from them was extremely positive.
“Not since 2011 have we had so many officers out on our Nottinghamshire streets and we are continuing to bolster our ranks.
“We want to fully reflect the communities we serve and so would encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to join the police. We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, genders, race, faith, sexual orientations or parental status.
“The more our police officers represent the communities we serve, the more we understand their needs and concerns and the better we work together to make communities safer and stronger.”
