Natural born leaders

Rochdale A-Level students took part in the Natural Born Leader (NBL) Programme

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Four Rochdale A-Level students took part in the Natural Born Leader (NBL) Programme last week (18-22 June).

The NBL programme is designed to develop the skills of a group of young college students, to prepare them in their quest to be future leaders in society.

This year, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) worked with Oldham 6th Form College who selected 16 students to take part in the programme. They were given the opportunity to visit GMP premises to witness professional leadership in action.

During the week, the students were given inputs on teamwork, leadership, presentation skills and communication. They also visited departments within GMP so they could witness each of these skills in practice. On Wednesday 20 June, students spent time with the armed response team, road policing units, and the dog unit. They also took part in exercises designed to test the skills and leadership capabilities of GMP staff, including taking part in a public order training exercise.

Superintendent Nadeem Butt has been running the programme for several years in the Greater Manchester area. He said: "This is a fantastic program that allows GMP to work with young people from local communities and provide them with skills that will assist them in fulfilling their potential and going on to be influential leaders in society. It also provides a great opportunity for young people and GMP staff to work together to build positive and productive relationships."

Inspector Asrar Ul-Haq of Greater Manchester Police's Rochdale Division helped to organise the scheme. He said: “It is extremely rewarding working with these talented young students and helping them to fulfil their potential, to become tomorrow’s leaders. The police trainers have such belief in the programme that most have invested a significant amount of their personal time in preparing the course.”

The course concluded on Friday with a presentation of certificates by Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Ian Hopkins.