Skills for Care 2025 graduate opportunities

Company Company profile

Skills for Care helps create a well-led, skilled and valued adult social care workforce. Developed in partnership with the NHS Leadership Academy and the Department of Health and Social Care, our Graduate Management programme is designed to fast-track graduates into leadership roles in the ever-growing health and social care sector.

During the one-year programme, graduates achieve a fully-funded leadership and management qualification, plus a project management accreditation. We recruit from all over the UK and place graduates across England with forward- thinking health and social care employers.

Entry criteria

Qualifications
Applicants must:
• have 2:2 or equivalent in any subject by September 2020
• be available to take up their post in October 2020
• be able to complete a full year with their host organisation from October 2020 to October 2021.

Language skills
Applicants must have demonstrable skills in spoken English to enable effective communication in the workplace.

Career progression
Applicants must:
• be able to provide complete details of their education and any employment history
• have evidence that their career progression is consistent with their personal circumstances
• not already hold, nor be eligible to hold, a Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification
• not have previously relinquished or been released / removed from a training programme in the health or care sector

Case studies

Name: Emily Paine
Role: Business Development Coordinator
Joined: 2018

I am grateful that I was given the oppportunity to develop the role as I wanted it, thereby finding

the type of work I want to pursue after the graduate programme.

Description:

I have been working for Future Directions since January 2018 as part of the Skills for Care graduate programme. In my role as Business Development Coordinator, I have been given a well-rounded and exciting experience in an innovative organisation.

From the start, my manager John has made my career development a priority. He has encouraged me to take part in any projects I wish, which has given me the experience and confidence I need to develop in my role. In frontline experience, I spent a week shadowing network managers at the houses, developing a better understanding of our services before leading a project to increase use of assistive technology amongst people we support.

My main role has been in helping people in their transition to move to our services. I find this role incredibly rewarding. In addition to working directly with people we support to help them plan their move, every day offers new and exciting challenges, including meeting with housing developers to plan new services, meeting with social workers to coordinate the move and understand the support needs, and meeting with commissioners to confirm hours and costs.

Name: Daniel Little
Role: Graduate Management Programme
Joined: 2018

Description:

Daniel Little graduated from Skills for Care’s Graduate Management programme in January 2019, and was part of the seventh cohort of ambitious and driven graduates looking for a career in health and social care. He talks about his experience and how you should make the most of the connections you make.

Everyone on the programme will have a unique experience with their cohort, and everyone will be looking for something different. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the other graduates, but now that my placement is over, I can look back at my time and safely say I was not disappointed and valued their company.

They’ve provided many laughs along the way, and I’ve made some strong friendships. It’s a strange relationship only seeing each other once a month, then having to spend all day in a professional setting.

The great thing about the programme is that it attracts so many varied people from all back- grounds and walks of life; there will be someone in your network suited to any mood you’re in and to lift you when you’re feeling down. I urge everyone to forge as many friendships as possible on this programme, because talking to someone else who’s in the same situation has proven to be really helpful.

Leadership and management training will teach you that every connection is an opportunity to make a difference, and there will be fewer professional environments safer than your graduate programme to make these valuable contacts. Make the most of every opportunity, be sure to keep an open mind and who knows where the programme could take you – good luck everyone!

Training & profiles

The programme includes two qualifications:

The NHS Mary Seacole Leadership Development Programme
• Association for Project Management (APM) – Project Management Qualification, PMQ Level 7

Graduate networking opportunities
You’ll come together with other graduates across the year to share your experiences, reflect on your development and explore ways to progress in your placement.

Coaching support
As part of the programme you’ll be given a professional coach who will support the development of your leadership style, approaches and opportunities through structured reflection.

Structured support network
You’ll have access to health and social care professionals to support your development. Skills for Care locality managers can help you to develop your role, your understanding of the sector and your leadership skills.

Health-based secondment
Working with your placement manager, you’ll design a secondment within health care.

Application procedure

There are three steps in our application programme -

1. Online application
This includes an application form and an online test. Applications are open from 9.00 Monday 20 January 2020 and will close at midnight on Tuesday 31 March 2020.

2. Video interview
If you're successful in the online application, we'll invite you to complete a short video interview.

What you need:
• a reliable internet connection
• a laptop or computer
• a webcam

3. Assessment centre
If you're successful in the video interview, you will then be invited to attend an assessment centre, which will include a group exercise, presentation and interview. This will be a fantastic opportunity to show your skills and abilities, ask more questions about the programme and meet host organisations.

There will be three locations: London, Leeds and Birmingham in June 2020. You only need to attend one. The venues and dates are to be confirmed.

FAQs

Where will I work?

We recruit from all over the UK and place graduates across England.