More than 200 apprentices and kickstart employees were recognised for their contribution to local policing in a celebration event.

Chief Constable Chris Noble, Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams and T/Director of Enabling Services, John Bloomer, hosted the celebrations at the force's headquarters in Stafford, where they offered their gratitude to the 290 apprentices working for the force.

Most of these apprentices and employees are working to complete their Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme, with others working in HR, licensing, Estates, IT and Finance. The force will also be welcoming their first solicitor apprentice in September.

The force is hoping to create an additional 18 apprenticeship positions over the next 12 months. These positions prove popular, with 95 applications received earlier this year for just one role.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said: "Apprenticeships are a really good way to bring in people in from different backgrounds, with different skillsets and different experiences.

"Joining the force is your opportunity to serve the public, make a difference and contribute your skills to something that is worthwhile.

"On behalf of the force, I want to say that we value every apprentice's and kickstarter employee's contribution and your continued commitment to developing yourself within the organisation."

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: "Apprenticeships and ensuring people have the right skills are central to delivering long term sustainable improvements in both Policing locally as well as delivering a strong economic growth locally and nationally.

"The popularity of these opportunities pays testament to both the desire of people locally to work for Staffordshire Police as well as to either upskill or start a new career.

"Creating a further 18 opportunities over the coming months will continue to support the delivery of the governments levelling up programme in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. With the current skills shortages in the economy both locally and nationally it remains vitally important that large employers such as Staffordshire Police continue to deliver quality apprenticeship opportunities."

The force is supporting the government's Kickstart scheme, providing young people with work experience so that they can find permanent employment, either with the organisation or with another employer.

The scheme provides partial funding for police staff posts for 25-hours per week, for a period of six months on fixed term contracts. This saw five recruits brought into force across different areas of the business including Firearms Licensing, Communications and the Resolution Centre.

Two of the employees brought in through the Kickstart Scheme have already secured roles in the organisation and one individual is going to be participating in the Step-Up programme which will be the precursor to an application to the Police Officer Degree Apprenticeship.

T/Director of Enabling Services, John Bloomer, said: "As an organisation we are committed to developing our workforce and apprenticeships are great because they allow learners to put into action what they are learning within the work place.

"Apprenticeships support our Policing Plan to improve our training capacity and capability to ensure our people have the right skills, and knowledge to do their jobs. All of our apprentices are paid in excess of the National Living Wage from the day they commence employment.

"We are also actively putting a strategy together with our learning and organisational development team which will see the continuation of police staff apprenticeships as an offer to current and future staff development."