South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards: PC apprentice pounding the streets while working towards degree

Brett Emerson is leading the field on a Police Constable Apprenticeship scheme and is already proving that he has what it takes to be the future of law enforcement.

He has been nominated in the category of Degree Apprentice of the Year and will be hoping to emerge the winner at the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards in May.

The three-year course at Sheffield Hallam University means Brett has to do all the usual student essays and assignments - balancing that with the demands of real police work including many tricky situations where his skills have proven ideal for deescalating potentially dangerous situations.

In his first year, Brett worked towards achieving Independent Patrol Status. In the second year, apprentices aim for Full Operational Competency and in year three, they have to pass three additional assessments.

Work-based learning coach (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship) Jonathan Hedge said: "Brett is an excellent student. He has performed very well in the workplace with SYP but has also performed very well academically too. He has an excellent attitude and I am pleased to be able to help and coach him to become a qualified police officer throughout his time on the PCDA course."

Brett's team were full of praise for his work in the award nomination: "Brett has shown an excellent attitude throughout his time, his application to both sides of the course has made him a stand out student officer and one that others look towards for inspiration, they said.

"His work ethic with South Yorkshire Police has been brilliant, often being really busy and being the one that is willing to go the extra yard. He is a really positive and driven individual who has the potential to go within the police force.”

They added: "There have been many instances where Brett has been working but then had to complete assignments and assessments alongside this, he has never complained like others have and he has got his head down and worked hard to improve on all areas."

Neil Williams, public relations manager and non-executive director at sponsors Amazon, said: "Amazon UK is delighted to be sponsoring the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards, with a special focus on the Degree Apprentice Award, open to apprentices who are studying level 6 or above.

"This year, as Amazon celebrates a decade of apprenticeships in the UK, an additional 1,100 full-time apprentice roles are being added to the company’s UK workforce. These roles will be available across a wide range of apprenticeship schemes, including engineering, IT, HR, marketing, data science, cyber security and sustainability along with warehouse team leaders and health, safety and environmental technicians.

"The 1,100 new apprenticeships highlight Amazon’s ongoing commitment to creating jobs and providing opportunities for training and upskilling across the UK.”

The South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards recognise and reward apprentices, mentors, businesses and training providers that are supporting in building a skilled workforce for the future. The organisers want to hear about the individuals and organisations that inspire many more to consider embarking on an apprenticeship scheme as a pathway to employment, and you can nominate them at www.scrapprenticeshipawards.co.uk no later than March 23. All finalists will be invited to attend a special awards ceremony in May where the winners will be announced.