Apprenticeship week | From self-doubt to first-class honours

Beverley Beck, based at Dorset Police, recently graduated from the University of South Wales with a first-class honours degree in BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice, completed alongside a full-time role as a police officer through an apprenticeship route.

Graduating marked far more than the end of a degree. It was the culmination of a journey that began with self-doubt, persistence, and a decision to finally pursue a career that Beverley had been considering for a long time.

Before joining the police, Beverley worked in a range of administrative roles across the Civil Service. A moment of browsing a recruitment website eventually turned into action, though not without hurdles.

“When I was a child, I had positive interactions with the police. Even at a young age, I could tell that they make a difference and it called to me. But life moved on and it never felt like the right time to apply,” she said.

Beverley was 46 when she joined the apprenticeship degree, studying while working full-time in the Force.

“Juggling everything was stressful. Being a police officer is a tough job. You are assigned days to study but sometimes the demand of the job meant you had to be pulled back in, so time management and perseverance were key,” she said.

“Also, I had been out of full-time education for a long time. Longer than some of my colleagues have been alive. I kept telling myself, throughout the whole thing, that I’d be happy just to pass. But that was a lie. I wanted a first. I didn’t think I was capable of it and then I did it.

“It’s not been one of those journeys where I’ve sailed through,” she added. “It’s been hard work.”

Yet the apprenticeship also gave Beverley something she didn’t expect - confidence in her own ability. “It’s another string to your bow,” she said. “I am proud that I completed a degree while doing a demanding job. That stays with you.”

Beverley’s academic work has already made an impact beyond the classroom. Her final-year dissertation focused on menopause, retention, and gender inequality in policing, exploring how a lack of organisational support affects women working in an historically male-dominated profession. The research has since sparked wider conversations, leading to further primary research being developed within Dorset Police and interest from other forces.

Beverley said: “It started as an academic project but it’s turned into something that could genuinely make a difference.”

For Beverley, that sense of making a difference is what policing is all about. “Whether you're seeing people at their best or their worst, you are making a difference somewhere. That matters,” she said.

As Apprenticeship Week highlights the many routes into higher education and professional careers, Beverley’s story is a reminder that apprenticeships are not just for school leavers and that it is never too late to challenge yourself, change direction, and succeed.

“I did this at a point in my life when I didn’t think I could,” she said. “I am incredibly proud.”