WMP Digital Forensics apprentice visits Parliament

To celebrate National Apprenticeship week, Aimee Jones, from our Digital Forensic unit, was one of 100 apprentices from across the UK invited to Parliament.

Last week (4 February), West Midlands Police were invited to Parliament by our training provider Blue Lights Digital, to celebrate National Apprenticeship week. 

Aimee Jones, from our Digital Forensic unit (DFU), was one of only 100 apprentices from across the UK asked to attend.  

The day was designed to get apprentices from across the country to celebrate their achievements and give them the opportunity to meet MPs.  

Aimee started the two-year scheme in October 2024 and is already working on real-life cases, along with six other apprentices.  

As part of her work, she is responsible for retrieving, analysing, and preserving electronic data, from any device, that could help in an investigation. 

Her specialist unit can retrieve data – even after it’s been deleted – from things like computer hard drives, phones, cameras, gaming consoles and many other devices.    

She is supervised and supported at all times and is bound by the same rules as any member of WMP staff, having been through the same rigorous background checks. 

An apprenticeship is a paid job where the employee learns and gains valuable experiences.  

During her two-year apprenticeship programme, Amiee will learn alongside experienced colleagues in data acquisition, scene attendance and gatekeeping – managing what the team do and do not examine.   

The apprenticeship programme is being delivered in conjunction with Blue Lights Digital. They provide the classroom learning, while we provide the practical experience.   

Aimee Jones said: “I never thought I would be given the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament in my career, so this was really exciting. 

“My highlight was networking with other apprentices from all over the UK, and walking through Parliament, seeing the House of Commons and House of Lords. 

“I have already experienced and learnt so much during my apprenticeship with West Midlands Police and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of applying.” 

Among the dignitaries, Aimee met Shadow Secretary of State for Defense, Mark Francois MP. They chatted about the police apprenticeship and Aimee’s experiences so far. 

Lilian Colborn is the Learning and Development Consultant for Blue Lights Digital and was the chaperone for the visit. 

Lilian said: “We were thrilled to be selected for this unique invitation-only event, because it is such an amazing opportunity for the apprentices. 

 “They have all taken on the training and hard work that goes with the programme in what is such an important and often challenging sector.” 

Glynis Partis, Apprenticeship Manager for West Midlands police, said: “Our ever-growing apprenticeship programme benefits WMP as we are attracting new talent from outside the organisation.  

“We currently have 488 apprentices in learning across the force and that number keeps growing. We were even recognised as one of the Top 100 UK Apprenticeship Employers last year.  

“The visit to Parliament is a great opportunity to showcase our talented apprentices and the courses we have on offer.”