Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of pre-employment education and training and its impact on the students' choice of career paths. It focuses on a programme delivered in partnership between Teesside University and a North East Police Force, and provides a model for future pre-employment education and training. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes the formation of a partnership approach to the delivery of a pre-employment programme, and researches its impact on decisions for career selection. Findings: Research evaluation offers evidence to support the hypothesis that a pre-employment programme can significantly impact on decision making when changing or selecting career paths. It also emphasises the value of taking a partnership approach in delivery and content. Practical implications: The paper could provide a model for pre-employment education and training programmes in other work-based fields. A key feature in this model is the partnership approach when determining content and delivery, which in turn provides students with first hand insights into a variety of police-related occupations. Originality/value: The paper focuses on the impact of taking a partnership approach to programme content and delivery. The findings support the benefits to students of a university and police partnership when informing learners of their possible future career paths. (Contains 5 tables.)