Pre‐employment course: a partnership for success?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of pre‐employment education and training and its impact on the students' choice of career paths. It focuses on a programme delivered in partnership between Teesside University and a North East Police Force, and provides a model for future pre‐employment education and training.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the formation of a partnership approach to the delivery of a pre‐employment programme, and researches its impact on decisions for career selection.

Findings

Research evaluation offers evidence to support the hypothesis that a pre‐employment programme can significantly impact on decision making when changing or selecting career paths. It also emphasises the value of taking a partnership approach in delivery and content.

Practical implications

The paper could provide a model for pre‐employment education and training programmes in other work‐based fields. A key feature in this model is the partnership approach when determining content and delivery, which in turn provides students with first hand insights into a variety of police‐related occupations.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on the impact of taking a partnership approach to programme content and delivery. The findings support the benefits to students of a university and police partnership when informing learners of their possible future career paths.

Citation

Pepper, I.K. and McGrath, R. (2010), "Pre‐employment course: a partnership for success?", Education + Training, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 245-254. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011037364