The University Certificate in Workforce Essentials (UCWE) is one of the first steps to a career with the NSW Police Force. It will provide skills needed in a workforce and help future applicants prepare for the Associate Degree in Policing Practice (ADPP) and a rewarding policing career. The UCWE was developed by the NSW Police Force and students completing the UCWE will be awarded a university certificate, which satisfies the academic prerequisites to lodge a police application with the NSW Police Force.

Students who successfully complete the UCWE will have their university certificate recognised by the NSW Police Force for three years from the date of completion. Those students who successfully complete the UCWE on or after 1 January 2019 will have their university certificate recognised by the NSW Police Force for one year from the date of completion.

Read more about the UCWE modules.

Applicants must be aged 18 years or older, and an Australian citizen or permanent resident, to enrol in this course.

Please note: If you first language is not English you are required to meet CSU English language requirements by doing one of the following:

• Providing evidence of having completed a sufficient standard of study in English; OR
• Obtaining Academic IELTS, within the last 2 years, with a minimum overall score of 6 and no individual score below 5.5; OR
• Obtaining a qualification deemed to be equivalent to Academic IELTS (and it's minimum scores) by CSU

Read more about CSU English language requirements.

Please note: successful completion of the UCWE does not guarantee recruitment, selection or training as a policing student, or future employment with the NSW Police Force.

Study mode and key dates

The UCWE is offered online and includes a final face-to-face examination.

There are three options to study the UCWE:

1. Online over 12 weeks (recommended 12 – 15 hours engagement per week)
2. Acceleration of the 12-week session to six-weeks is offered to students (when the 12-week session commences) who meet the eligibility criteria (recommended 25 – 30 hours per week engaged in learning and assessment activities)
3. Face-to-face over five weeks (recommended 30 – 35 hours engagement per week).

This course will be offered online over 12 weeks and five weeks face-to-face, depending on demand. Face-to-face sessions, if offered, may be run from either Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Sydney or Wagga Wagga. To register your interest in a five-week face-to-face session, send us an email with your contact information.

Please note: the UCWE final face-to-face examination is held at a study centre in Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Sydney or Wagga Wagga. Examination centres available for each session will be dependent on demand. In exceptional circumstances, students unable to attend the planned examination date may be eligible for a second examination date – these situations will be determined on a case-by-case basis only.

Dates for the online offering are:

* Acceleration to six weeks duration is offered after the commencement of each session. Applicants initially enrol in the 12-week session and if they meet eligibility, can accelerate within the session to the six-week duration group.

Normal course duration

Online study allows students to balance the course requirements with their work and lifestyle commitments. This course will be offered online for 12 weeks with a six-week accelerated duration offered at commencement of the 12-week session.

Depending on demand, face-to-face sessions, if offered, may be run from either Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Sydney or Wagga Wagga. To register your interest in an online five-week face-to-face session, please email your interest and contact details to ucwecc@csu.edu.au

Acceleration eligibility

After you enrol in the 12-week session and it commences, you will have the opportunity to request a six-week accelerated duration. All the learning contents and assessments are the same for both durations. However, to be accepted into the six-week accelerated duration, a student must meet the eligibility criteria:

• be able to meet the NSW Police Force eligibility to submit an application to join the NSW Police Force;
• submit a NSW Police Force Professional Suitability Application (PSA) (application to join the NSW Police Force) by the due time/date (within three weeks of session commencement);
• attain a satisfactory mark for Assessment 1 and Assessment 2 by the due dates; and
• be confident that you can meet the recommended learning and study engagement of 25-30 hours per week.

Information technology

Students will require a computer or laptop with the following minimum applications or equivalent to participate in the UCWE:

• Microsoft Office suite or equivalent, capable of producing / reading Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint. Please note assessments must be submitted in Microsoft Word format
• Adobe Acrobat Reader - latest version
• QuickTime 7 or VLC media player
• headphones
• internet connectivity ability.