Architectural Technician Review
at Merseyside Police
Degree Apprenticeship
Construction
Liverpool
Review Submitted: May 2025
Overall Rating
5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
5/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
Architectural Technician, Merseyside Police (24/01/2022 to Current)
My role within the Programmed Maintenance & Design Team focuses on surveying existing buildings to produce illustrated architectural drawings for proposed building, electrical and mechanical schemes. Through my role I have submitted planning/building regulation applications, conducted feasibility studies, lead site meetings and liaised with specialists to generate electrical and mechanical plans. Our team manages all construction schemes throughout the Merseyside Police Estate under the value of £1,500,000 with our remit covering schemes such as internal refurbishments, roof replacements, DDA Alterations and HMIC Upgrades of Custody Suites. I have also worked closely with the Sustainability team to format Strategy reports and campaign posters.
My role within the Programmed Maintenance & Design Team focuses on surveying existing buildings to produce illustrated architectural drawings for proposed building, electrical and mechanical schemes. Through my role I have submitted planning/building regulation applications, conducted feasibility studies, lead site meetings and liaised with specialists to generate electrical and mechanical plans. Our team manages all construction schemes throughout the Merseyside Police Estate under the value of £1,500,000 with our remit covering schemes such as internal refurbishments, roof replacements, DDA Alterations and HMIC Upgrades of Custody Suites. I have also worked closely with the Sustainability team to format Strategy reports and campaign posters.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
I enjoy my Apprenticeship thoroughly as it has provided me with the freedom to develop my skills outside of the financial confines of the workplace and thus gain skills such as rendering and embodied carbon calculations which would otherwise be unfeasible to explore within my regular workday. The structure of the programme being a block release also works well for not only me but for my employer as I can take the fortnight of study to truly immerse myself in learning and due to the work predominantly all being completed in these block release periods, when I get back to work I do not feel distracted from my job so can focus on embedding all of the knowledge I have learnt while studying into my workplace projects.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
In the course of my job so far, I have built upon my existing architectural knowledge as established in my undergraduate training through work completed in the implementation of our programmed maintenance schemes. I have also gained additional skills and knowledge through working alongside my experienced peers who have imparted not only their building, electrical and mechanical knowledge but also their project management skills. Cross-disciplinary working in our department has also lead to the development of additional skills in Graphic Design through my work with the Sustainability Team.
Taking part in the Master of Studies (MSt) in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) at the University of Cambridge alongside my work enables me to pair the practical construction and estate management knowledge as gained through my workplace with theoretical and creative knowledge as provided through my university studies to provide me with a full scale approach with regard to the implementation of architecture in my field of work.
Taking part in the Master of Studies (MSt) in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) at the University of Cambridge alongside my work enables me to pair the practical construction and estate management knowledge as gained through my workplace with theoretical and creative knowledge as provided through my university studies to provide me with a full scale approach with regard to the implementation of architecture in my field of work.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
The Master of Studies (MSt) in Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship) at the University of Cambridge is organised extremely well with not only consideration for the apprentice but also for the employer, which is primarily achieved through the block release structure of the programme. Although block release means that I am out of the office for blocks of 2 weeks 3 times per year, this structure provides less disruption to my workplace through allowing me to separate my work and study time and thus prevents one from becoming a distraction to the other.
I am also fortunate to be working in an organisation which has its own Force Apprenticeships and Qualifications Officer who was able to support me in not only getting onto the Apprenticeship, but also liaising with my department to explain the logistics of the Apprenticeship.
I am also fortunate to be working in an organisation which has its own Force Apprenticeships and Qualifications Officer who was able to support me in not only getting onto the Apprenticeship, but also liaising with my department to explain the logistics of the Apprenticeship.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I am fortunate to be working in an organisation which has its own Force Apprenticeships and Qualifications Officer who was able to support me in not only getting onto the Apprenticeship, but also in liaising with my department to explain the intricacies of the Apprenticeship.
My department is fully supportive of my desire to further my knowledge of architecture as they know that by me doing this I will not only benefit myself confidence wise but also benefit them through my ability to share a broader remit of knowledge with the department as a whole.
Regarding my time away from work on study leave, this if not properly managed could apply unnecessary resourcing strain on a team. We have mitigated this issue through maintaining a consistent dialogue with not only my line manager but other command team members regarding my study leave and have factored my leave into the timescales as established in our annual programme of works.
My department is fully supportive of my desire to further my knowledge of architecture as they know that by me doing this I will not only benefit myself confidence wise but also benefit them through my ability to share a broader remit of knowledge with the department as a whole.
Regarding my time away from work on study leave, this if not properly managed could apply unnecessary resourcing strain on a team. We have mitigated this issue through maintaining a consistent dialogue with not only my line manager but other command team members regarding my study leave and have factored my leave into the timescales as established in our annual programme of works.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
The University of Cambridge is extremely supportive when it comes to supporting my development. They do this through maintaining a regular dialogue with apprentices between residential blocks. This is completed through such formalities as quarterly reviews between the apprentice's assigned tutor, the apprentice and their line manager. They also offer wellbeing support which is readily available for all apprentices.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
The modules which are provided throughout the course has so far provided me with a broader knowledge of subjects such as research, carbon calculations and graphic design, and this additional knowledge has enabled me to implement this knowledge into my workplace activities and enhance the quality of our departments output as a result.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
There are many extra-curricular activities which employees at Merseyside Police can participate in such as sports teams and various support groups. Personally, in order to enhance our Strand cross-departmental communication I am part of the Resources People Engagement Team which holds regular events providing opportunities for employees in the Resources Strand (Corporate Assets, ICT and Finance & Procurement) to hear updates from Strand leads and share opinions as to how the operational effectiveness of the strand can be improved.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Merseyside Police to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would recommend working for Merseyside Police to a friend. Whether the person be at the start of their career looking for development within their field or nearing the end of their career and looking to engage in academic courses to further their current knowledge of current procedures, Merseyside Police is a fully supportive employer to work for. They realise that the only way to get the most out their employees, and to attract the best employees, is to embed a culture of promoting continuous learning opportunities such as apprenticeships.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Merseyside Police?
If someone was seeking a career in Merseyside Police, I would recommend they look to get experience of working on voluntary projects whether in school or in their spare time to enhance their knowledge of community issues and to demonstrate a desire to improve an area of the community they live in. I would also recommend attending events such as the 'Chief Constable of Merseyside Annual Lecture' held at LJMU to gain knowledge of the issues facing policing in the present day.
