Learning to lead the way

Learning through doing is one thing, but it’s not the whole picture. We complement work-based learning experience by commissioning a range of academic, professional and personal education and development inputs from some of the best providers in the country. Through a partnership approach, they’re providing an integrated learning and development package within which you’ll find a foundation programme, specialist learning and qualifications, multi-disciplinary action learning and experiential learning.

See the scheme structure for more information.

Foundation programme – Multi-Disciplinary

Everyone begins with the foundation of this 11-day programme, which takes place during your orientation and consists of learning in multi-disciplinary groups.

Designed to promote cross-specialism working and to ensure you gain an all-round knowledge and management skills for the future, everyone gets taster days in finance and finance in the NHS (using a specially designed business simulation), HR and HR in the NHS, management and leadership, and informatics.

Completion of the foundation element of the programme marks the beginning of your specialist study and journey towards achieving qualifications.

Specialism Learning and Qualifications

Finance – trainees follow either CIMA of CIPFA which is provided locally across the country through block and day release, over 30 months.

HR – trainees study for a post-graduate diploma in HR management, including graduate membership of CIPD through block release over two years, provided by Middlesex University.

Informatics – trainees study for a post graduate diploma in health informatics.

General Management – trainees study for a postgraduate diploma in health and public leadership through block release and over two years, provided by a partnership between the Manchester Business School and the Health Services Management Centre of the University of Birmingham.

Action learning

Here, all sets are multi-disciplinary in order to promote early sharing and learning across professions. The cross-specialism action learning sets are a key component of the scheme and create structured opportunities for trainees to make the connection between theory and practice within a dynamic forum.

The learning sets enable the development of key skills, including enquiry, analysis, problem-solving, multi-disciplinary working, effective communication, self-reflection and feedback leading to the application of learning within the work environment.

The action learning sets will enable trainees to significantly direct and influence their own learning by identifying what they want and need to learn and the most effective ways in which to meet the trainee and collective needs of the set.

Experiential Learning

Complementing professional training and personal development, the experiential learning component, provided by The King’s Fund, ensures trainees ‘know how to learn’ and prepares them for a career with continuous learning at its heart. That is, ‘double loop learning’ within the new distributed, specialised and pluralistic model of the new NHS and with the ever increasing rate of change.

So trainees, again in multidisciplinary groups, undertake days on service improvement and transformation, change management, social enterprise, commissioning, strategy and communications skills.

Following completion of the scheme you will have continual career support throughout years 3 and 4.

Learning Account

On achieving your first post after the scheme, you’ll have access to a learning account that you can use to support your professional and personal development and maintain contact with the scheme as alumni. Available for two years for HR, health informatics and general management, and 18 months for finance, you can access the account after agreeing your development needs with your employer and evidencing the opportunity as part of your personal development plan.

Overseas Bursary

Once settled into your career, you can bid for funds to enable an overseas study trip aimed at enhancing your professional and personal development and benefiting the NHS. The bursary is managed and awarded by the local steering group and is open to all alumni.

Alumni

We value all alumni as key stakeholders and critical to contributing to the schemes continued success. So, we’ll keep in touch and keep you up to date through Crosscurrent, our NHS leadership and scheme magazine. We’ll also track your career to monitor how the scheme contributes to NHS leadership, provide networking and development opportunities, consult with and involve you in shaping the future of the scheme and actively recruit you as assessors or placement and programme managers to share your expertise in attracting and developing new trainees.