Police officer overcame adversity to complete degree apprenticeship

As we mark National Apprenticeship Week, PC Andy Reed talks about combining academic study and frontline policing

A police officer achieved the degree apprenticeship against all odds and the course led to a dream career role.

PC Andy Reed, of Sussex Police, has passed the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) with a first and flying colours.

After a 19-year career with the force in Sussex where he grew up, Andy has now begun a new role in Child Protection through the PCDA. At one point Andy, a married father-of-three, thought he would be unable to complete the course.

“One of my children was seriously ill and there were times I felt it would be easier to drop the course,” he said.

“But the course was a light at the end of the tunnel for me. Instead of sitting round the house feeling sad for myself I put that energy into doing my coursework. I felt that was a good distraction for me and made me positive that in three years’ time I will have a degree if I keep this up. Getting a degree was something I never expected to do in my adult years particularly with having dyslexia.”

Andy, 40, started as a Police Community Support Officer but wanted a ‘new challenge’ and through PCDA he gained experience working with different departments, including the Serious investigations unit, which deals with serious sex offences and domestic violence. 

Later a new specialist team was formed, focused on protecting child victims, and the inspector felt Andy would be perfect for the role.

He said: “I loved the hustle and bustle of being a police officer, going to 999 calls and responding to incidents but then I wanted to move into specialist police work and that’s what this apprenticeship opened up for me. If it hadn’t been for the PCDA I wouldn’t have had that opportunity to meet and work alongside these people.”

The three-year course, which leads to a BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Policing Practice, combines on the job training with academic learning, which contributes to around 20% of the working week but varies with different forces.

Andy praised the university for being “very supportive” and described how the course has benefitted his policing: “It taught me pride in my writing and wanting to be clear. I learned how to review my work, and I guess in the beginning I was quite brutal to myself in trying to improve my standards.  I would bring the scrutiny on my writing from the academic side into writing my professional reports and statements. 

“The course also helps to broaden your perspective because we are taught victimology, criminology, and how people find themselves in difficult situations. It gives you the emotional awareness rather than the mindset of thinking you’ve just got a job to do. You understand what the long-term effects are and how to introduce safeguards to protect these people and divert them away from situations. It made me a more rounded police officer.”

People considering a PCDA should be ‘proactive’ and make the most of the help on offer, seek advice and work hard to improve, added Andy.

It was an amazing opportunity, which I am very grateful to have. It is hard work juggling the course with policing, but it is worth the effort. There’s no greater investment in yourself than doing an apprenticeship and getting a degree.”

PC Andy Reed

Find out more about the Degree Apprenticeships at Middlesex University.