01/07/2025
Students Participate In Work Experience With Mid & East Antrim PSNI
Thirty sixth-year students from the Ballymena, Carrickfergus, and Larne areas took part in a three-day work experience programme facilitated by the PSNI's Community Planning and Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) across Mid and East Antrim.
This initiative offered pupils a valuable opportunity to gain real-world insights into policing, public service, and community engagement.
Throughout the programme, students explored frontline policing and heard directly from a diverse range of PSNI departments, including Cyber Support, Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Air Support, Dog Handlers, First Aid trainers, and Personal Safety Programme (PSP) trainers. Senior Management Team members, including Superintendent Gerry McGrath, Chief Inspector Rory Bradley, and Chief Inspector Chris Tate, also shared their experiences and stories with the pupils.
Chief Inspector Chris Tate expressed the positive impact of the initiative: "Local officers were delighted to welcome students for three days of work experience, and by spending time with teams from across the service, students got to explore the various aspects of law enforcement, including crime prevention, investigations, community outreach and the challenges officers face on a daily basis." He further highlighted the benefits for the young participants: "For our local pupils considering a future in criminal justice, law or public safety, such experience can be instrumental in shaping career aspirations. It also helps develop transferable skills like communication, teamwork, problem solving and resilience, all of which are vital in any profession, but very important in the world of policing."
Chief Inspector Tate also emphasised the broader community advantages of such engagement. "Importantly, engagement with police encourages positive relationships between young people and the police, promoting mutual trust and understanding within communities – we are humans at the end of the day, we just so happen to be in uniform most of the time. In areas where tensions may exist, this connection is particularly significant, helping to break down barriers and support long-term peace-building efforts. Ultimately, work experience with the PSNI not only benefits individual pupils but also contributes to a more informed, responsible and engaged generation. It's an investment in both personal development and the broader goal of building safer, more cohesive communities in Northern Ireland."
He concluded by thanking the students: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those pupils who took part in our work experience and enriching our working day. I look forward to working with them in future."
Student feedback was highly encouraging, with comments such as: "Talking with the officers positively changed my view of the police.
"I found that being a police officer is much more than what people think it is, a lot happens behind the scenes than I ever thought it did.
"This work experience has strengthened my desire to join the police."
For more information on future work experience opportunities within your local policing area, contact your MEA policing team on 101 when the new school term begins in September.
This initiative offered pupils a valuable opportunity to gain real-world insights into policing, public service, and community engagement.
Throughout the programme, students explored frontline policing and heard directly from a diverse range of PSNI departments, including Cyber Support, Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Air Support, Dog Handlers, First Aid trainers, and Personal Safety Programme (PSP) trainers. Senior Management Team members, including Superintendent Gerry McGrath, Chief Inspector Rory Bradley, and Chief Inspector Chris Tate, also shared their experiences and stories with the pupils.
Chief Inspector Chris Tate expressed the positive impact of the initiative: "Local officers were delighted to welcome students for three days of work experience, and by spending time with teams from across the service, students got to explore the various aspects of law enforcement, including crime prevention, investigations, community outreach and the challenges officers face on a daily basis." He further highlighted the benefits for the young participants: "For our local pupils considering a future in criminal justice, law or public safety, such experience can be instrumental in shaping career aspirations. It also helps develop transferable skills like communication, teamwork, problem solving and resilience, all of which are vital in any profession, but very important in the world of policing."
Chief Inspector Tate also emphasised the broader community advantages of such engagement. "Importantly, engagement with police encourages positive relationships between young people and the police, promoting mutual trust and understanding within communities – we are humans at the end of the day, we just so happen to be in uniform most of the time. In areas where tensions may exist, this connection is particularly significant, helping to break down barriers and support long-term peace-building efforts. Ultimately, work experience with the PSNI not only benefits individual pupils but also contributes to a more informed, responsible and engaged generation. It's an investment in both personal development and the broader goal of building safer, more cohesive communities in Northern Ireland."
He concluded by thanking the students: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those pupils who took part in our work experience and enriching our working day. I look forward to working with them in future."
Student feedback was highly encouraging, with comments such as: "Talking with the officers positively changed my view of the police.
"I found that being a police officer is much more than what people think it is, a lot happens behind the scenes than I ever thought it did.
"This work experience has strengthened my desire to join the police."
For more information on future work experience opportunities within your local policing area, contact your MEA policing team on 101 when the new school term begins in September.
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A major reception to welcome over 90 overseas students taking part in the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) Programme was hosted on Wednesday night by the Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Sean Farren.
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12 March 2007
Ceremony rewards international work experience
Queen's University Belfast students who gained workplace experience in companies around the world will take part in a special ceremony on Wednesday 14 March. The event for the 160 students is the 12th City & Guilds presentation ceremony at Queen’s, bringing the total number of candidates who have received Senior Awards to nearly 1,500.
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Queen's University Belfast students who gained workplace experience in companies around the world will take part in a special ceremony on Wednesday 14 March. The event for the 160 students is the 12th City & Guilds presentation ceremony at Queen’s, bringing the total number of candidates who have received Senior Awards to nearly 1,500.
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DPPs tour PSNI Training College
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16 August 2001
Northern Ireland pupils are in a class of their own
Northern Ireland students have outperformed their peers in England and Wales in both A-level and the new AS level exams. Figures released by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) on Thursday August 16 show a record 48,000 grades have been issued to Northern Ireland students across all exam boards.
Northern Ireland pupils are in a class of their own
Northern Ireland students have outperformed their peers in England and Wales in both A-level and the new AS level exams. Figures released by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) on Thursday August 16 show a record 48,000 grades have been issued to Northern Ireland students across all exam boards.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.