NCALT was established in April 2002 through a collaboration between Centrex (the Central Police Training and Development Authority) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). 

NCALT was awarded start-up funding through the Invest to Save Budget (ISB), a joint Treasury/Cabinet Office initiative.

Professor Jonathan Crego completed his term as Director of NCALT in February 2006, and is now Director of Hydra Operations in the Metropolitan Police Service, providing ongoing strategic direction of the NCALT national programme of Critical Incident Management through Immersive Learning.

On 1 April 2007, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) was established and took over responsibility for much of the work of Centrex, including the National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies (NCALT).

NCALT sits within the NPIA People and Development Directorate under Learning Programmes.

The NPIA, together with their partners ACPO, APA and the Home Office will support forces to deliver the best possible policing services to the public, today and in the future.