Students have been on a careers tour of government buildings as part of their course studying protective services at Barking and Dagenham College.

The visit included New Scotland Yard, the Ministry of Defence, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, the Supreme Court and the Royal Courts of Justice.  

The tour was arranged by the protective services curriculum manager at the Rush Green campus, Gwen Edwards, to help bring to life what the students are learning in their lectures.

“Trips like this help to underpin the knowledge they gain on the course,” she explained. “They really got so much from touring these iconic places.”

The tour gave students an insight into the workings of the different buildings and the functions that go on inside them.

The protective services studies aim to provide a broad understanding of the structure of government at national, regional and local levels. 

Student Annie Levey, a 19-year-old from Dagenham who has been on the course since last year, said: “We got to see the public services departments in real life and went into the courtrooms of the Supreme Court of Appeal and could look around when they were not in session.

“I found the Commonwealth countries appeal cases can be heard here in the Supreme Court as well. We also saw 10 Downing Street, secured by armed guards, and learnt a lot on this tour.” 

The tour showed what they could be doing and where they could be working in their future careers.

The course could lead students into careers in the Met Police, London Fire Brigade, Army, Royal Air Force, Civil Service or other government roles.

College courses aim at higher level professional training, from entry to level 7, to prepare for careers or for university.

The college has 12,500 students at five sites in Barking and Dagenham with ‘real work’ training environments as part of its Higher Education programme for degree and postgraduate qualifications, as well as professional certification and apprenticeship training.

It has an annual £35million turnover and has been praised by Ofsted for its 'outstanding student support and entrepreneurship'.