HND in Public Services
Ellie Anderton-Brown
“I’d always planned to go straight in to the Army after leaving school, however, I decided to come to college to keep my options open and I’m so glad I did. I first enrolled on to a Level 3 public services course which introduced me to the wide range of roles available within the industry.
I soon realised that I wanted to join the police force but discovered that you now need a degree to do so. My tutors encouraged me to continue studying at college and progress on to the university-level public services course.
Studying at college has been great. I’ve met lots of different people here and made some amazing new friends. When I first started I was a really quiet person but I’ve massively developed in confidence which is really going to help me in my future career.
I volunteer with the Criminal Investigation Department as part of Derbyshire Police’s Support scheme which has been a fantastic experience and a real eye opener when it comes to learning more about the policing industry. I actually used the work I was doing as part of my HND for my application. Getting accepted in to the police is a really lengthy process but there’s no doubt in my mind that the skills I’ve learned at college have given me the edge to stand out.
I’m now going to ‘top up’ my HND to a full honours degree and I’ve got a couple more fitness tests to pass but I’m hoping to secure my position within Derbyshire Police next year. “