WEST Yorkshire Police have shone a spotlight on the range of apprenticeships on offer within the force.

Bosses say that whilst some of the roles involve 'frontline' working, there is also a number of behind-the-scenes jobs available.

The force has highlighted its career opportunities as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

One area of the apprenticeship programme which has seen a boom is for emergency contact handlers. Since the first cohort of apprentices was recruited in January, 2020, nearly 240 have completed the scheme, which features a combination of on-the-job and classroom training.

Another successful apprenticeship offering has been for recruits joining as police community support officers. The programme leads to a Level 4 qualification in community policing. Since its introduction, 45 apprentices have signed up.

Other fields of work covered by apprenticeships include customer service, transport and accounts.

And in the coming months, it's hoped to expand into areas such as human resources, forensic science and estates.

Tony Oldroyd, West Yorkshire Police apprenticeship lead, says: "As part of National Apprenticeship Week, we want to highlight the many different schemes we offer.

“We are using apprenticeship training to equip our frontline staff and officers with the right skills and knowledge to enable them to provide a first-class service to our communities, which will make a difference to people’s lives.

"Recruits get the opportunity to put the knowledge and skills they learn in the classroom into practice in real life. These skills are then further developed by ongoing support and learning throughout their apprenticeship period.

"In the case of our apprentice police community support officers, they are now patrolling the streets of West Yorkshire confident in themselves to work independently in our communities, giving that uniformed reassurance to ensure the public feels safe and protected.

"We hope to open further apprenticeship recruitment in the near future, so people should keep checking the force website for opportunity details."

Amongst those to successfully complete the emergency contact handler apprenticeship scheme is Ravi Takhar.

He says: "I gained a distinction for my call handling and a pass overall.

"I applied for the apprenticeship as a mature adult, which proves that apprenticeships can be for anyone at any age!

"Not only have I now got a qualification, but I have hands-on experience of working in a big organisation. I would highly recommend the scheme to other people."

For more information about the programme and vacancies, visit westyorkshire.police.uk/joinus