Information about the role of a tutor, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A tutor is a learning and development position within the business support sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
A tutor provides mentoring, instruction and guidance, and facilitates:
- work-based learning
- development
- assessment on a one-to-one or small group basis
This may be on a full-time basis or in addition to other workplace roles. Tutors are able to plan for and enable work-based learning opportunities in a structured way, most typically by using coaching, feedback and assessment skills.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Knowing and applying the principles of adult learning within the tutor role to support the development of individual learners.
- Utilising a range of effective communication techniques to create and maintain professional and trust-based tutoring relationships. Enabling the identification of individual needs and the development of mutually agreed expectations of roles and responsibilities.
- Coaching, mentoring and supporting learners through specific and risk managed, work-based scenarios to enable their development and achievement of learning outcomes and/or assessment criteria.
- Planning, preparing and facilitating a range of learning and/or assessment opportunities. Engaging and supporting learners through their development process to meet relevant learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
- Identifying and maintaining records of learners’ (where applicable) performance and development, contributing to evidence of competence and to support formal performance procedures as needed.
- Challenging unprofessional actions, attitudes, behaviours and language to ensure the highest standards of professional behaviour upholding the police Code of Ethics.
- Role modelling an inclusive attitude towards diversity, enabling effective learner engagement and removing potential barriers to learning and development.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Competent to and operating within the College of Policing standards for learning, delivery and assessment or tutor and assessor (where appropriate).
- Occupational competence in the area of work that is being assessed and in which individuals are being tutored, for example a ‘tutor constable’ will be competent in the role of police constable.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Learners should complete the College of Policing curriculum for tutors found within the learning, delivery and assessment national policing curriculum.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR)conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all annual and mandatory training.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining occupational competence in the area of tutorship, including knowledge and understanding of legislation, College of Policing guidance, and good practice
- maintaining and enhancing knowledge and understanding of tutoring, assessment techniques and skills by participating in CPD events and/or through personal research
- testing new ideas in relation to both tutoring and assessment, and their operational role, and incorporate these into working practice
Related roles
You can find other service deliverer roles in the: