Emergency Contact Handler Apprenticeship - July 2026
| Posting date: | 03 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £23,636 to £32,547 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £23,636 - £25,459 (Plus you will be entitled shift and enhanced allowance, making potential earnings £30,217 - £32,547) |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 February 2026 |
| Location: | Ponteland or South Shields |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Northumbria Police |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Start Date: 13th July 2026
Location: Ponteland or South Shields (Please note, we are unable to guarantee which of the two locations you will be based at)
This role will be moving to Cobalt in 2027.
Salary: Band 6
22 hours – £17,487 - £18,836 (Plus you will be entitled shift and enhanced allowance, making potential earnings £22,096 - £23,800)
30 hours – £23,636 - £25,459 (Plus you will be entitled shift and enhanced allowance, making potential earnings £30,217 - £32,547)
The role:
Do you want to be the voice that can help in someone’s time of need? As the first point of call, we rely on your ability to stay calm, focused, and professional in your response. Then why not join us? There really hasn’t been a better time to kick start your career with us in our fast-paced, customer-focused Communications Centre.
You’ll have the opportunity to earn while you learn whilst playing a critical role in our ability to respond to emergencies. You will receive structured on and off the job training, personalised tutoring and all the encouragement and support you need through our comprehensive Emergency Contact Handler Apprenticeship programme. This will result in you being able to appropriately respond to incoming calls and evaluate the urgency of an incident in what could be a life critical situation. On successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, you will be confirmed in post and receive a nationally recognised certificate in emergency contact handling.
What you’ll do:
Working towards a level 3 apprenticeship you will be trained as an Emergency Contact Handler; you will perform one of the most rewarding roles in the force and one which is key to inspiring confidence in the community.
You will gather information from callers by using your excellent communication skills, recording key messages whilst maintaining a professional manner. You will be trained to accurately input data into various police IT systems and gather information from force databases to support our frontline police officers. Using your experience, training, and judgement you will assess vulnerability and provide a high quality of service, ensuring the needs of victims and customers are at the heart of what we do. Calls will include 999 emergency, 101 non-emergency, and contact made our digital platforms.
Successful candidates will work a range of day, late and night shifts as per the documented patterns, if you’re interested in discussing flexibility around hours, then please discuss at interview.
Want to learn more about the apprenticeship and what it would be like to be a contact handler with us?
What you’ll bring:
Qualifications:
No formal qualifications are required*. However, applicants must demonstrate competent typing and listening skills as well as strong written communication abilities. A typing, listening and written communication assessment will form part of the selection process.
*Applicants who are under 19 years of age on the programme start date must hold Level 2 qualifications in English and Mathematics (GCSE at Grade C/4 or above, Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent).
Skills and Experience:
Excellent communication and listening skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport quickly.
A passion for problem-solving.
The ability to assess and understand key information.
Confidence to multitask, recording information accurately with attention to detail.
IT competence across a range of applications.
We know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.
Interested to learn more?
Click the below link to access the full advert, candidate information guide and role definition.
Location: Ponteland or South Shields (Please note, we are unable to guarantee which of the two locations you will be based at)
This role will be moving to Cobalt in 2027.
Salary: Band 6
22 hours – £17,487 - £18,836 (Plus you will be entitled shift and enhanced allowance, making potential earnings £22,096 - £23,800)
30 hours – £23,636 - £25,459 (Plus you will be entitled shift and enhanced allowance, making potential earnings £30,217 - £32,547)
The role:
Do you want to be the voice that can help in someone’s time of need? As the first point of call, we rely on your ability to stay calm, focused, and professional in your response. Then why not join us? There really hasn’t been a better time to kick start your career with us in our fast-paced, customer-focused Communications Centre.
You’ll have the opportunity to earn while you learn whilst playing a critical role in our ability to respond to emergencies. You will receive structured on and off the job training, personalised tutoring and all the encouragement and support you need through our comprehensive Emergency Contact Handler Apprenticeship programme. This will result in you being able to appropriately respond to incoming calls and evaluate the urgency of an incident in what could be a life critical situation. On successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, you will be confirmed in post and receive a nationally recognised certificate in emergency contact handling.
What you’ll do:
Working towards a level 3 apprenticeship you will be trained as an Emergency Contact Handler; you will perform one of the most rewarding roles in the force and one which is key to inspiring confidence in the community.
You will gather information from callers by using your excellent communication skills, recording key messages whilst maintaining a professional manner. You will be trained to accurately input data into various police IT systems and gather information from force databases to support our frontline police officers. Using your experience, training, and judgement you will assess vulnerability and provide a high quality of service, ensuring the needs of victims and customers are at the heart of what we do. Calls will include 999 emergency, 101 non-emergency, and contact made our digital platforms.
Successful candidates will work a range of day, late and night shifts as per the documented patterns, if you’re interested in discussing flexibility around hours, then please discuss at interview.
Want to learn more about the apprenticeship and what it would be like to be a contact handler with us?
What you’ll bring:
Qualifications:
No formal qualifications are required*. However, applicants must demonstrate competent typing and listening skills as well as strong written communication abilities. A typing, listening and written communication assessment will form part of the selection process.
*Applicants who are under 19 years of age on the programme start date must hold Level 2 qualifications in English and Mathematics (GCSE at Grade C/4 or above, Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent).
Skills and Experience:
Excellent communication and listening skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport quickly.
A passion for problem-solving.
The ability to assess and understand key information.
Confidence to multitask, recording information accurately with attention to detail.
IT competence across a range of applications.
We know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.
Interested to learn more?
Click the below link to access the full advert, candidate information guide and role definition.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.