To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2026 through today’s Employer Tuesday theme, we are spotlighting the partnership behind UWE Bristol’s Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA). In this blog, Jane Exon, Apprenticeship Employer Development Manager for the Police Programme, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how UWE works with Avon and Somerset Police to support recruits from onboarding to completion, delivering a high-quality, compliant programme that develops confident, competent officers.
Meet Jane
Hi! I’m Jane Exon, and within our Apprenticeship Team I look after the Police Programme. In my role as Apprenticeship Employer Development Manager, I work closely with our Associate Director Anne Eason, Programme Leads, and Avon and Somerset Police to make sure every recruit gets off to a smooth and supported start. From onboarding through to completion, we’re here to help keep the programme compliant, high quality, and focused on giving apprentices the best possible experience.
What is the PCDA?
The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) was created nationally for people recruited to become serving police officers. It’s a brilliant, transformational route for new recruits who want to grow into confident, capable, and community focused police professionals. The programme blends academic study, operational experience, and personal development, helping apprentices build the skills they need from day one.
Ensuring compliance and quality
Running an apprenticeship isn’t just about teaching and training, it also means staying fully compliant with Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funding rules and apprenticeship regulations.
Our PCDA is fully mapped to the official Level 6 Police Constable apprenticeship standard. This ensures every required knowledge, skill and behaviour is delivered and assessed properly, consistently, and in line with national expectations.
At the very start the apprentices and employer receive a full training plan. This includes everything that counts towards off the job learning — academic modules, placements, skills sessions, and blended learning activities. Everything is carefully mapped to ESFA rules so apprentices always know what they’re working towards.
Working with the force
As an employer focused university, partnership is at the heart of what we do. We work closely with Avon and Somerset Police to make sure the communication stays open and supportive for both the force and the apprentices. We do this through regular meetings throughout the programme to support apprentice progress. Therefore, any issues are picked up early so we can work together by ongoing collaboration to provide a positive journey from recruitment to graduation.
What success looks like by graduation
At UWE Bristol, we’re incredibly proud of the work we do together — our staff, our partners at Avon and Somerset Police, and of course, our apprentices. By combining our strengths, we’re able to deliver an apprenticeship that truly supports people to thrive in their policing careers. By the end of the apprenticeship, we see our graduates go on to become well rounded police officers who are:
• Strong communicators
• Evidence led decision makers
• Skilled at assessing and managing risk
• Ethical and community focused
• Confident in applying academic learning to real world policing situations
It’s a rewarding role being in the apprenticeships team and the small part we have supporting the next generation of police officers and of course all our apprentices across the various programmes, continuing to strengthen our employer partnership.
Our thanks to Jane for this employer insight and to all those working in support of the PCDA programme. If you are interested to find out more, you can follow these links to #NAW2026 and the Police degree apprenticeship route.
Editorial team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).