Robert Halfon MP visits GMP as part of National Apprentice Week

Yesterday (Wednesday 8 February) the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Robert Halfon MP, attended Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Sedgley Park to meet with some Police Constable Degree Apprentices (PCDA).

As part of his tour during National Apprentice Week, 6 – 12 February, Robert Halfon visited Manchester and stopped off to see some training in action with GMP’s new apprentices.

 

GMP’s has a range of apprenticeships available, from business administration and customer services to apprentice police officer roles. We currently have nearly 600 live apprentices within GMP as both police officers and police staff.

 

The Police Constable Degree Apprentices (PCDA) programme enables people to join the Force as an officer without the need for a degree or higher qualifications. The PCDA entry route is a mixture of dynamic, practical on-the-job learning alongside academic classroom-based theory and learning.  The apprentices are a police officer from the first day on the job and they earn as they learn. The PCDA route normally takes three years to complete, with the option to specialise in your third year. 

The Minister was particularly interested in the PCDA roles and spent the afternoon observing the officers during their training and role plays. He also took some time to chat with the apprentices to see how they were enjoying their new roles.

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said: “Apprenticeships provide a ladder of opportunity into such a wide range of professions, as the 600 apprentice vacancies on offer at Greater Manchester Police show.

“There are so many great apprenticeship opportunities out there for a huge range of skills, and it’s great to see major employers back up our work to build a skills and apprenticeships nation.”

The Minister met with Chief Inspector Clara Williams who is GMP’s Student Officer Training & Apprenticeship Lead, she explains that: “It’s fantastic to be able to showcase our apprentice training. We have been running the PCDA apprenticeships since 2021 and combines classroom learning along-side practical police training. The students are very keen to progress and are a valuable resource to the Force.

“It is important, especially during NAW, that we shine a light on the part they play in GMP and encourage anyone who is interested in a career in the police to consider this route into the Force.”