PCDA
The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) is a three-year programme where student officers earn a full-time salary while working as police officers and studying for a fully funded BSc (Hons) degree with Anglia Ruskin University. After completing the programme, officers can pursue various career paths within Bedfordshire Police.
This entry route was created to support progression and reflect the complexity of modern policing, which involves problem-solving, addressing social issues, and evidence-based practices—not just catching criminals. The role has evolved significantly, now requiring skills in digital investigation and safeguarding vulnerable people. Training has been updated to meet these modern demands.
The PCDA is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to achieve a degree in recognition of their police training. It doesn’t matter if you have already studied for a different degree. All study is fully integrated into your workplace training and you do not attend a university campus. You will receive protected learning time, and there is no expectation that officers will have to use their days off to complete the degree.
22-week initial training phase
- learn how to use our IT programmes
- the basic dos and don’ts of policing
- personal safety training
- law
- role plays
- preparing you for life as a police officer.
You will be awarded your warrant card during a ceremony called an Attestation, where family and friends can also join and watch this special moment in your policing career.
15-week tutorship
- gain independent patrol status
- work on response with a tutor on a one to one basis. They will guide you through each of the different jobs you will attend as a student officer and help you to achieve independent status.
Proctected learning
From then your time will be split between working on response and class room based/protected learning time.
- First year: this commences with a 22-week classroom-based initial training. The learning is Monday to Friday during this period, and student officers are taught the fundamental knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required to be a police officer. This will also include personal safety training, first aid and there are several ICT systems that need to be understood. Student officers will also carry out a ‘practice’ investigation from the moment of arrest through to an appearance in court. During this period, there is also a period of one week’s annual leave in the middle and again at the end.
- Second and third year: Across both years, student officers will spend a total of approximately 8 weeks completing their degree. This time will be split in to smaller segments at various points across the second and third year. The vast majority of time is spent working as a police officer. The course culminates with officers reflecting on their journey to produce a professional development strategy. There is no dissertation.
Once the three years are complete and you have passed the degree programme you will graduate and be a fully ranked officer. Officers and tutors are on hand to help you if you need more time or need to go to certain jobs to pass the course.
As a fully ranked officer you will be able to take advantage of different training opportunities that are available and apply to work in different departments like community policing, firearms, cybercrime and more.