NHS Scotland Management Training Scheme

General and Finance Recruitment 2018

Making Your Application

Applying for the NHS Scotland Management Training Scheme (MTS) 2018

Please ensure you have read the information contained within this guide and on our website before you make your application.

IN THIS GUIDE:
  1. Recruitment Timetable
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  1. Recruitment Flow Chart
/ Page 4
  1. Application Information: How to Apply
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  1. Application Form: Sections
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1. Recruitment Timetable

Please familiarise yourself with the recruitment timetable and the key dates and deadlines. Please plan around these dates as they are not negotiable and we will not be able to accommodate requests for alternative dates.

MTSRecruitment Timetable2018

9 January 2018 / Online Applications Open(Stage 1)
6 March 2018 (12 noon) / Online Applications CloseDeadline for submission of online application form and both online assessments (verbal and numerical)
March 2018 / Long-listing of Candidates
Invitations to the MTSAssessment Centre released
Candidates to confirm attendanceat Assessment Centre
28 and 29 March 2018 / MTSAssessment Centre (Stage 2)
April 2018 / Short-Listing of Candidates
Invitations to the MTS Interview Stage released
Candidates to confirm attendance at Interview Stage and complete Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire
19 April 2018 / MTS Interviews (Stage 3)
May 2018 / Candidates notified of outcome of Interview Stage
Pre-Employment Checks Undertaken
Offer letters and contracts issued and accepted
September 2018 / Management Trainees commence in post
2. Recruitment Flow Chart
2. Application Information: How to Apply

This initial application process consists of two key stages: an online application form followed by online verbal and numerical reasoning assessments.

Youare eligible toapply:

  1. If you have attained or are expecting to attain a minimum
    degree grade of 2:2 (or non U.K equivalent) OR have successfully completed or are expecting to complete a postgraduate course e.g. Postgraduate Diploma; Masters, PhD; etc (or non U.K equivalent).
  2. If youare eligible to work in the U.K without any restrictions
    (unfortunately we are not be able support any applications
    where candidates require sponsorship e.g. Tier 2 Sponsorship).

In order to apply for the Management Training Schemeyou are required to:

  1. complete and submit an online application form by the closing date (12 noon on6 March 2018)via the online recruitment system.
  2. complete and submit the verbal and numerical reasoning online assessments by the closing date (12 noon on 6March 2018) via the online recruitment system.

Please note, once you have submitted your application you will not be able to edit any information in your application form, therefore you are advised to check your application prior to submitting it.

We will expect to receive a large numberapplications at this stage. As such, we use a range of methods to assess your potential. We would therefore encourage you to allow sufficienttime to complete both the application form and assessments to the best of your ability.We strongly encourage you to practice online assessments in advance to prepare and familiarise yourself with what's involved and give yourself the best chance of success.

Candidates with a Disability

If you have difficulty completing the online form or assessments due to a disability please contact to discuss your requirements.

Please note, if you require additional time to complete the online assessments due to your disability then we will require a letter or document from a medical professional to confirm your requirements for exam situations.

Please ensure this evidence is with us by 27 February 2018 this will allow sufficient time for us to make any reasonable adjustments and for you to thensubmit your application in full by the closing date of 6 March 2018 at 12 noon.

Retrieving Saved Drafts

The 'Save and finish later' button saves your information as a draft to be completed at a later time. You can retrieve your saved application via the Apply pages of our website ( and clicking the ‘Retrieve Saved Application Drafts’ link. You will require your login email and password to log back in. You will be able to review and edit any section once you reach the ‘Review and Submit’ page of the application form

3. Application Form
Getting Ready for Your Application

PLEASE NOTE: It is very important that you carefully read both this Applicant and the Assessment Guides before commencing your online application and assessments - these are both available on our website (
The online process is compatible with all major browser applications (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari etc) however it is important that you ENABLE ALL COOKIES and TURN OFF POP UP BLOCKERS before you start your application form and tests.
The application form contains two eligibility questions plus five competency based questions linked to the leadership competencies we are testing throughout this process. You must firstly satisfy the eligibility criteria in order to complete the full application form and progress to the online assessments.
Once you have successfully completed the application form, you will receive a prompt to complete the verbal and numerical reasoning assessments. Both assessments are timed and each test can take up to 40 minutes to complete.
You should therefore allow yourself a minimum of 3 hours to fully complete and submit the application form and both assessments.
Required questions within the online form are denoted with an asterisk. When you have answered the questions on a page, click the 'Save and continue' button to progress to the next page. At the end you will have the opportunity to review and edit your application. Once confirmed, you will then be immediately prompted to access the online assessments.
The 'Save and finish later' button saves your information as a draft to be completed at a later time.
In addition to your assessment results, only Sections 2, 3 & 4 of this online form will be made available to short-listing panels. Sections 1 to 4 (inclusive) would then be used at both the Assessment Centre and Interview stages, should you be successful in progressing to these. Sections 5 to 7 will be viewed only by the HR department.

Section 1:Personal Details
  • Please provide your name, address and contact details.
  • The NES MTS Recruitment team will need to contact you during the recruitment process; please provide a valid contact email address and telephone number. Please note that the majority of correspondence will be issued via email.

Section 2: Eligibility – Working in the U.K. and Higher Education
  • These questions will be used to determine whether you are eligible to apply for the training scheme. If you satisfy the criteria you will be able to complete the full online form and assessments.
  • Work in the UK – applicants must be eligible to work in the UK. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they have the right to live and work in the UK. We will confirm the status of applicants before an offer of employment is made.
  • Higher Education – applicants must have a 2:2 honours degree in any subject or a postgraduate qualification.

Section 3:Higher Education Qualifications
  • Please tell us about the higher education qualifications you have achieved or are studying towards

Section 4: Competency Questions

Our selection process is based around a number of skills and behaviours, called competencies, which are essential for future leaders in the NHS.This section consists of five questions, each relating to a different competency.Read each question carefully and in each case give an example of how you have demonstrated that competency. Your examples might be from your work, academic, family or social life.
Read all of the questions before you begin to complete any of them. This will help you plan your answers effectively. When you prepare your responses, pay close attention to the questions that are asked. You should try to select examples that allow you to provide evidence of all of the required behaviours.
If possible, use a different example for each question. Poor examples may limit the extent to which you can demonstrate your strengths.
Be concise. There is a strict limit of 2,000 characters including spaces, punctuation etc. (approximately 300 words) for each answer, so try not to go into unnecessary detail.
Give examples of things you actually did and how you did them. It is important that your examples clearly demonstrate your personal involvement in each situation. You should try to restrict yourself to describing the situation and your own specific actions. We cannot give you credit if your role and/or actions are unclear.
You should note that each of the questions is equally important. Try to put an equal amount of time and thought into each of them.
Be as honest and realistic as you can - your replies will be compared with references and other information obtained during the selection process and you may be asked to back them up with further evidence or examples.

Section 4: Supporting Information – Vacancy Source
  • Please try to remember where you heard about the scheme, and tick the relevant box. The information you give will help us find out how effective our advertising is.

Section 4: Choice of Training Scheme
  • Please let us know whether you would like to apply for the General or Finance scheme. You won’t be able to change this once you have applied so please think carefully about your choice. Your choice of scheme will dictate the professional qualification you undertake with us and the type of placement you have with us on the Scheme.

Section 5: Disability Arrangements
  • The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.’
  • NHS Scotland is a ”Disability Confident Employer’, and no applicant will be discriminated against on the grounds of disability. Please contact the recruitment team at the earliest opportunity if your disability makes completing an online form or assessment difficult. If you are invited to assessment centre or interview, you will also have the opportunity at that point to discuss any particular requirements that you would have when attending for interview e.g. Induction Loop, Wheelchair access, Signer etc...
  • In addition, NHS Scotland operates a Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) scheme, which means that if you have a disability, and meet the minimum criteria outlined within the Person Specification, you will be guaranteed an interview. For MTS this would mean an invitation to the Assessment Centre.
  • However, some disabled people prefer not to take this option, so please tick your preference if you are a disabled candidate

Section 6: Convictions and Application Declarations
  • NHS Scotland is exempt from the 1974 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exclusions & Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2003. This means that unless stated in the job description, person specification or application pack, you must tell us about any previous convictions either classed as ‘spent’ or ‘unspent’.
  • If you are offered employment, any failure to disclose such convictions could result in dismissal or disciplinary action.
  • Any information you give will be considered only in relation to the post for which this application form refers.
  • Information will be verified by Disclosure Scotland for relevant posts.
  • Read, consider and tick the declaration at the bottom of the page.

Section 7: Equal Opportunities Monitoring
  • We want to ensure that our job opportunities are open to all. The only way we can ensure there is equal opportunity is to monitor applications we receive and compare the profile of people who apply with those appointed. Therefore this form asks you for your ethnic origin, gender, disability, religion, sexuality and age.
  • The information you provide in this part of the form (Section 9) is confidential and is NOT used in the selection process.

Review and Submit
  • Please take the time to review the information you have entered in to the application and edit if required. You will not be able to edit any part of your form once submitted.
  • Only once you are happy with your form should you hit the ‘Send my Application’ button.

Application Complete
  • If you have only been allowed to complete Sections 1 & 2 of the form then unfortunately you have not satisfied the eligibility criteria to apply for our Management Training Scheme (as stated within Section 2).
  • If you have beenable to complete Sections 1 to 7 then you are eligible to progress to the online assessments stage. Alternatively, you can choose to undertake the assessments later but please note you must do this by the closing date of 6th March 2018 (12 noon). Please note that once you have started an assessment you must complete it, you cannot return to it at a later date.
  • You can retrieve your saved application from the 'Apply' page of the NHS Scotland MTS website ( and click the link on the right of that page. Please remember, you will require your login email and password to retrieve your saved application.

If you have any queries at any stage of the Management Training Scheme selection process please contact the recruitment team at

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