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Blue Light Services

The emergency services sector—often known as the “blue light” sector—is essential to the UK’s public safety and wellbeing. From crime prevention and road safety to medical emergencies, search and rescue, and fire response, the emergency services play a vital role in responding to, and preparing for, a wide range of incidents. These services also contribute heavily to public education, prevention, and policy development. 

While many roles are frontline, there are also opportunities in planning, investigation, support services, and emergency response coordination. Whether you're interested in a fast-paced public-facing role or a behind-the-scenes planning position, there are a range of roles for students and graduates looking to make an impact.  

These services are typically structured regionally, meaning that job titles, recruitment, training, and operational approaches can vary by location. These profiles will help you build an understanding of the day-to-day responsibilities in graduate level roles, common entry routes and types of jobs available but it can also help to research your local service or trust to find out more: 

Ambulance services 

Fire & Rescue Service 

HM Coastguard 

Police  

Skills employers look for

Emergency services cover a wide range of roles. These are some of the typical skills, qualities and attributes required and should be considered in addition to fully exploring role requirements set out in person specifications.  

  • A commitment to Continuing Professional Development.
  • Ability to follow procedures, while still thinking independently and exercising sound judgement.
  • Attention to detail, particularly in written reports or when following operational protocols.
  • Calmness, resilience, and quick thinking in high-stress or unpredictable scenarios.
  • Cultural competence, and the ability to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
  • Decision-making skills, sometimes with limited information or under time constraints.
  • Empathy and emotional intelligence, especially when working with the public or vulnerable individuals.
  • Excellent communication skills, especially under pressure or in emotionally charged situations.
  • Integrity, accountability, and a commitment to public service values.
  • IT literacy.
  • Situational awareness and the ability to assess risk and respond accordingly.
  • Teamwork and collaboration, often in multi-agency and time-critical settings.
  • Understanding of safeguarding and professional boundaries. 

To develop these skills, the Career Zone offers a range of Personal and Professional Development sessions, which you can book via Handshake. These run at least once per term and cover topics such as communication, decision-making, leadership and resilience. 

For further ideas, explore the Developing Experience and Further Study and Professional Development sections on this page to find out how volunteering, part-time roles, and qualifications can help you develop these skills and show evidence of them to employers.

Gaining Experience

All experiences ranging from volunteering, active involvement in clubs/societies to part-time employment can help you to build relevant and transferable skills.  

Please be aware If you are volunteering or engaging in outdoor pursuits (e.g. hiking, climbing, Paddlesports, surfing or wild/open water swimming), it's important to understand safety and risk responsibilities.  

Societies 

Exeter based  

Cornwall based 

Volunteering 

Volunteering directly with emergency services—or with organisations that support them—is one of the most effective ways to gain relevant experience. It also demonstrates genuine commitment and can give you valuable insight into emergency response, teamwork, and public engagement. Roles vary from hands-on response to vital behind-the-scenes support such as logistics, fundraising, or education.  

Ambulance Service 

Consider volunteer roles that require first-aid training, responding under pressure and working with vulnerable people. 

Coastguard 

Consider roles or organisations that show a good understanding of water safety, decision-making, and supporting public wellbeing. 

Fire & Rescue 

Consider volunteering roles that show leadership, communication, and an interest in public safety and education. 

Police 

Consider roles that develop community awareness, public engagement and resilience or work with people in the criminal justice system or victims of crime. You might also want to look at opportunities in the Prison and Probation sector.  

Speculative applications and where to find opportunities 

Undertaking relevant work experience will also allow you to develop new skills that will help you whatever direction you choose. As jobs and opportunities are not always advertised, particularly if you are looking for short-term experiences or insight opportunities, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. 

Roles that involve responding to emergencies, working under pressure, making decisions, or supporting the public—particularly vulnerable people—are all valuable preparation for a future career in the emergency services. 

University of Exeter Employability Schemes  

  • Career Zone Internship schemes: Internships can be a great way to build skills that will support you in the workplace.
  • Exeter Award : The Exeter Award will help you stand out from the crowd, celebrate the experience and give you the confidence to shout about the experiences you've had at university.
  • Exeter Leaders Award: An extracurricular award to demonstrate leadership skills and attributes. Leadership skills are particularly valued in the emergency services. 

Finding part time work  

You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students.

Finding advertised graduate roles, placements and internships

Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.  

Ambulance 

HM Coastguard 

Fire & Rescue 

Police 

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page.

Graduate schemes and internships 

Most roles in the emergency services follow a direct entry pathway, but there are some targeted graduate schemes available. Some individual services or NHS trusts may also offer entry-level or trainee schemes or leadership pathways.  

  • Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) - a two-year work-based training programme focusing on a specialist area of study within the Police Force. Open to degree holders in any subject.
  • Detective Degree Holder Entry – an intense two-year programme that requires additional examinations within the Police Force. Different forces may offer variants of this course.
  • Handshake search for internships.
  • Police Now – a two-year paid leadership programme across select partner forces with routes into specialist areas. Recruitment typically ends in September. 

It is also possible to approach individual trusts or services about internships or shadowing opportunities – for help with making speculative applications you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page. 

Placements  

If you are interested in finding out more about work placements, you can also access the Work Placements SharePoint via Single Sign-On. This resource covers all aspects of credit-bearing work experiences as part of your degree, including what a placement is, how to apply for them, and bespoke information for international students or those interested in working abroad.  

Further sources of support 

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally. 

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion   

Ambulance Service 

Individual NHS Trusts and independent employers should highlight their commitment and progress towards equity, diversity and inclusion on their respective websites. Some services, such as the London Ambulance Service have dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion teams. You may also wish to look at: 

HM Coastguard  

Fire & Rescue 

Individual services should highlight their commitment and progress towards equity, diversity and inclusion on their respective websites. You may also wish to look at: 

Police 

To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page. 

Further study and professional development

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector and related occupations. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. Use the sites below to research your further study options.  

Ambulance Service - Paramedics 

To become a paramedic, whether in the ambulance service or elsewhere, you need to have completed an approved qualification in Paramedic Science to allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).  

There are different routes available, including degree apprenticeships and Postgraduate level study. More information can be found on the, and the Allied Health Professionals NHS Careers Page.  

Fire & Rescue  

Most operational roles in the Fire & Rescue Service do not require postgraduate study, and most services recruit based on assessments, interviews, and your ability to meet the physical and behavioural requirements. 

However, if you're interested in progressing into technical, prevention or leadership roles, further study in areas such as fire safety engineering, emergency planning, or risk management may be beneficial. 

HM Coastguard 

Formal entry routes into coastguard or broader maritime emergency service roles don’t require a specific degree programme, but a proactive approach to learning and development can make a big difference to your application. You may wish to consider training or further study in logistics, maritime law emergency planning or using remote sensing tools like GIS.  

Police 

If you choose to apply to join the police, you’ll complete structured training as part of the role. This is usually delivered in partnership with a university and includes a mix of classroom-based learning, online study, and practical on-the-job experience. The exact format will depend on the entry route you take (e.g. Degree Holder Entry Programme or Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship). 

You don’t need a postgraduate qualification to apply. However, some individuals choose to study subjects like criminology, forensic science or intelligence studies before applying—particularly if they’re interested in specialist roles or developing academic insight into the justice system. 

Advice 

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study.   

Information and links from professional bodies 

If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary; however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.  

  • The College of Paramedics is the recognised professional body for paramedics in the UK, including those outside of the Ambulance Service. This site includes information on how to become a paramedic, professional development, vacancies and upcoming events hosted by the College.
  • The College of Policing is the professional body for everyone working in policing in England and Wales. It sets standards for training, development, ethics, and leadership, and offers a wealth of resources on police recruitment pathways, professional development frameworks, and research into best practice in policing.
  • The Institution of Fire Engineers is an international professional membership body that supports the fire sector through knowledge-sharing, promoting excellence, and accrediting educational and training programmes. It provides resources for professional registration, CPD, industry qualifications, and offers membership grades for students, graduates, and experienced professionals working in fire safety and fire-related roles.