Nottinghamshire Police apprentices celebrate landing full-time jobs with the force

Rachel Daughtry, Kyle MacDonald, Daniel Petter and Cameron Sheridan were offered employment in the organisation’s information services department after passing their 18-month apprenticeships with distinctions.

Rachel, Daniel and Cameron have been recruited as a customer service technicians, while Kyle has landed a role as an IT support engineer.

Rachel, 19, applied for an apprenticeship with the police after her job in retail was made redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “I was just browsing for work as I don’t like not doing anything and an advert for a customer service technician popped up.

"It sounded quite interesting so I thought I’d give it a go.

“I’m really pleased I did and I’m really happy to have secured a permanent job as I don’t have to worry now about what’s next.”

Daniel, 21, said his apprenticeship included a comprehensive spectrum of work, enabling him to develop a variety of skills.

He said: “It’s been a great experience. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and it’s improved my confidence no end.

“When I started I thought everyone would be really formal, being a police force.

"But whilst everyone’s professional they’re also really friendly, it’s a great place to work.”

Cameron, 21, completed the same apprenticeship and said: “It’s been great, every day is different and brings a new challenge.

"It’s a role where you don’t know what’s going to happen next or who’s going to come in with a problem that needs fixing.

“It never gets tedious or boring so it was a great feeling when I was offered the job.”

Apprenticeships offer a valid alternative to university education allowing the apprentice a dynamic way of learning practical skills, that can enhance or build on long-term career prospects.

Kyle, 19, who has landed a temporary role covering a colleague on maternity leave, said he had no regrets about choosing an apprenticeship over going to university.

He said: “It’s been brilliant, I didn’t want to go to university so an apprenticeship really appealed to me.

“It’s involved a lot of coursework and five exams – including a 40-hour exam spread across a week – so there’s been a lot to learn.

"But the thing I like about IT is you can have 20 years’ experience and still not know everything.

"You learn something new every day.”

Lee Aram, Nottinghamshire Police’s lead for incident management, who managed the four apprentices, said he couldn’t be prouder of their development over the last 18 months.

He said: "Their dedication and drive to put the customer first has become the norm and has been greatly received."

The apprenticeships were delivered in partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield and involved a mix of classroom learning and on-the-job training.

Ron Lawrence, apprenticeship officer at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I feel like a proud parent, look at what these four apprentices have achieved.

"They’ve secured themselves roles within the organisation and it says something about Nottinghamshire Police as an employer that they want to stay with us.”

Nottinghamshire Police currently has 30 apprentices working across multiple departments including cyber security, forensics, CSI, finance, business administration, contact management and human resources.

More opportunities are available, for more information, click here.