Building Real-World Skills for Careers in Public Services
At Barnsley College University Centre, we work closely with employers to shape a curriculum that reflects the realities of the public services sector. Our Criminology, Communities and Criminal Justice course brings learning to life, giving students the opportunity to take part in hands-on, career-focused experiences that build confidence, skills and industry insight.
Hostage Negotiation Assessment
Over the past year, students have been involved in a range of immersive activities designed to mirror real-world scenarios. One standout experience is the Hostage Negotiation Assessment, delivered by industry professionals. Students step into Bronze, Silver and Gold command roles, working together to manage and resolve a live hostage situation while developing leadership, communication and critical decision-making skills.
Emergency services exercises
Both University Centre and Level 3 students took part in a National Resilience Assurance Programme, supporting multi-agency emergency response training designed to maintain operational capability and strengthen joint working between Fire, Ambulance and Police.
Students had the opportunity to undertake full and active roles in the exercise as part of a mass‑casualty scenario.
They were assigned different casualty roles to help test emergency service triage, decision‑making and command response, whereby the scenario simulated a Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) and tested:
- Tactical firearms commanders
- Fire Service incident commanders
- The MTA medical response team
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service commanders
- HART (Hazardous Area Response Team)
- SORT (Specialist Operations Response Team)
By acting as injured civilians, they help create realistic training environments while gaining first-hand insight into how emergency services respond under pressure.
The experience offered a valuable and authentic insight into the coordination and management of multi-agency major incidents, an area that is rarely accessible prior to entering such professional roles.
Kelly Dixon, Public Services teacher said: “Through active participation, students were able to apply and further develop key professional skills, including communication, teamwork, situational awareness, and decision-making under pressure.
“Their contribution to the exercise was highly commended, with external partners recognising the professionalism, engagement and standard of performance demonstrated throughout.”
Riot training exercises
In partnership with West Yorkshire Police, students have recently taken part in public order and riot training exercises, acting as rioters to replicate challenging situations faced by officers on the ground. These experiences develop resilience, teamwork and a deeper understanding of how public safety is managed in complex environments.
Prison visits
Students were able to connect their academic studies to real-world practice within the custodial environment with a visit to Armley Prison.
They were given a private tour of the establishment and its grounds. The visit provided a unique insight into the realities of prison life, allowing students to explore different wings, the segregation unit and a range of prisoner wellbeing facilities. Students were able to see the prison’s rehabilitative spaces, including outdoor areas featuring birds of prey, polytunnels, beekeeping projects and chicken keeping facilities.
These experiences offer a deeper understanding of the role of prisons within the criminal justice system, as well as the responsibilities and challenges faced by prison officers and senior staff.
Guest speakers
Alongside practical experiences, students benefit from direct input from industry professionals. Recent guest speakers include a specialist from His Majesty’s Prison Service, who shared expertise in counter terrorism and intelligence gathering, giving students valuable insight into career pathways and current challenges within the sector.
Developing employability skills
Luke Hellewell, pathway leader for Public Services stated: “The features of employability, industry specific skillset development and close employer links are not simply tokenistic experiences but are instead a constitutive feature of the Degree programme as a whole.
“Authentic, industry aligned employability skills are woven into the very fabric of curriculum design, assessment strategies and teaching practices. As a programme Criminology, Communities and Criminal Justice has been recognised through nominations for national awards for exactly this reason. It is what makes us unique, makes our students stand out from the crowd and so successful in securing professional opportunities post-graduation.”
These opportunities ensure students don’t just learn about public services, they experience them, building the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to take the next step into their future careers.
