Overview of the recruitment process
The Scientist Training Programme is recruited through a national selection process using longlisting, shortlisting and interviews. Recruitment takes place annually and opens for applications around January for trainees to start in September the same year. Once confirmed, the recruitment timeline and deadline dates are published on our website. They are frequently subject to change, so must be checked on a regular basis.
Posts are advertised on Oriel and our website. Once confirmation is received from the commissioners that posts are supported, employers must share the information with their HR and finance teams. Any local process for authorisation and preparations for onboarding should be completed in advance of being allocated a trainee. The allocation process (the process of allocating individual applicants to prospective employers) is managed nationally and is informed by the location choices applicants express as part of their application. Once the final allocation of successful applicants is confirmed, we’ll pass trainee details onto the employer so they can complete their employment processes and issue the trainee(s) with a contract of employment. Contact details for successful applicants will be passed to the relevant university who will be in contact regarding registration for the MSc.
Employer roles and responsibilities
Each post has a main contact within the employing organisation that is responsible for that post. This main contact is responsible for:
- Timely consultation with their human resources teams to make them aware of the post, funding arrangements and the recruitment process. Any business case or approval needed should be completed as soon as possible so that once an applicant is allocated the post, the onboarding checks can be completed before the expected programme start date.
- Notifying us of any changes in contact details or circumstances for the post.
- Notifying us if the post is no longer required.
- Reading all guidance on the national recruitment process including potential requirements for sponsorship of international trainees.
- Familiarising themselves with the recruitment timeline.
- Nominating one or more member(s) of staff (per post) to take part in both the shortlisting and interview recruitment process; this does not have to include a Head of Department. We encourage Clinical Scientists and Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) trainees to participate in the shortlisting and interview process.
- Providing advertisement information specific to the post.
Please contact us at england.hcsrecruitment@nhs.net if you have any questions.
Further details are available on direct entry recruitment and entry requirements.