Whether you are a school leaver looking to gain the qualifications necessary to apply to join your chosen police force, or an adult lacking the necessary entry requirements to make a direct application to the force, this course is the first step to your future career!

Policing is a complex activity characterised by the need to carefully consider how law, values, social policy and organisational priorities should be interpreted and applied and, as such, police forces in the UK are constantly adapting to meet the needs and challenges of today’s every-changing society.

The protective/public sector is becoming increasingly technical in terms of operation and, as such requires it staff to have a wide range of skills and abilities to support the provision of an efficient and effective service, whichever service you work in.

By choosing the Police Pathway, you will gain the necessary qualification, service awareness and key transferable skills to meet the operational requirements of the police service in the UK.

The course combines scenario-based learning and simulated service situations, together with lectures and seminars taught by experienced academic staff and retired experienced police officers, and will equip you with learning, confidence and experience that will be valuable in your future career.

Successful completion of the foundation diploma will enable you to progress to the second year of the qualification – the Level 3 extended diploma – and then apply for a Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) or BSc (Hons) Policing and Intelligence at the University of Wolverhampton or University of Staffordshire.

What’s more, if you are committed to learning, driven to succeed, work hard and achieve excellent results on the foundation diploma course, you could achieve the required UCAS points to enable you to apply for a PCDA a year early – meaning you can join the police service as an apprentice police constable and start earning sooner!

You will be required to attend lessons to improve your English and Maths (or use the time for directed study if you already have Grade 4 or above) and have the opportunity to complete 30 hours of a work experience placement.

You will also be required to purchase a college-branded uniform costing approximately £70 – order forms will be provided before the start of the course and financial support may be available to help with these costs.