See what our stakeholders think of our scheme from their testimonials below
“We are privileged to host GMTS trainees and benefit significantly from them. For example in recent months a really fantastic GMTS trainee has worked as speciality manager for our ambulatory care centre, throughout the COVID 19 pandemic; he was calm, assured and highly effective throughout and we were lucky to have him. He is very positive about the experience he had, and has subsequently gone on to secure a really exciting permanent role with a fantastic Trust.”
Associate Director of Operations – Surrey
“My first placement was in a large community and mental health trust where I was responsible for the development and implementation of a new dementia strategy. This involved engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including service users, carers, families, and communities to set out priorities for the system. The strategy which was ratified by the executive team set out an exciting vision for the service encompassing changes to the outpatient pathway, inpatient environments, and engagement with the community. The team and I hosted events in the community, chaired system stakeholder meetings, and trained 100s of staff as Dementia Friends as part of the launch…
… I am currently working as the cardiology and rheumatology operations manager at an acute trust. I am responsible for managing outpatient activity (including RTT performance), diagnostic testing, and cath lab capacity. I support the daily running of the two departments and oversee various capital and service developments working closely with the ICS. I helped set up the Project Wingman lounge during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and represent the directorate at silver incident command level.”
GMTS Trainee – Hampshire and Isle of Wight
“I’ve been a placement manager for 4 years now and have had the pleasure of supporting 3 HR trainees through the scheme. Shaping the next generation of HR professionals through the scheme, watching them improve and adapt their skills, role-modelling best practice for them, and seeing them develop an ongoing successful career at a senior level in HR within the NHS has been incredibly rewarding for me personally. I would attribute this success to a mutual high motivation to learn and succeed…. When managed well you have a very engaged and motivated trainee that runs with projects, becomes a part of your team and is a key contributor who shares their learning and experiences at every level. Knowing you have supported someone through their training in a way that will shape them as an HR practitioner forever is a great way of contributing to improved recruitment of NHS HR professionals.”
Head of HR Business Partnering – Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
“As a placement manager you need to make sure you set challenges that push your trainee out of their safety zone in a way that you can manage their confidence. Expect mistakes and use them as learning opportunities. Coach your trainee into becoming an autonomous practitioner – don’t become their ‘fixer’, get them to research and present you with solutions. The trainees I have worked with have all had different areas of expertise and interest and this has shaped their training, we really have made their experience and pathway bespoke to them, used their competencies to form their basic training, but worked with them to develop any specialities they may want to move into within HR.”
Head of HR Business Partnering – Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
“Having been through the GMTS myself and experienced the NHS for a further 12 years post-scheme, it has put me in a perfect place to help others make the most of their journey. I have seen first-hand where the scheme can be great and also where it can go wrong, allowing me to ensure trainees in my placements receive the best possible experience and gain the most to help them in their future career. I have been able to empathise with the situations the trainee find themselves in and use my knowledge of my own scheme to guide them in the right direction.”
Head of Financial Planning – Hampshire and Isle of Wight STP
“…communication is one of the most important aspects of this [placement manager / trainee] relationship. The programme/placement manager needs to be approachable and someone the trainee feels comfortable coming to with concerns. I also think that managers that empower you and help to build your confidence and independence are the best…
…I personally think it is important for the manager to be visible to the trainee but also allow them the space to work and learn things for themselves. I think the best way to approach this is for trainees to be given responsibilities where appropriate that the department/team depend on (obviously at a reasonable and realistic level). I think that if a trainee doesn’t work directly with their manager then there definitely needs to be a regular 1 to 1 schedule in place to monitor development.”
GMTS Trainee – Dorset