This year has seen a massive 83 per cent rise in the number of applications for the Graduate Management Training Scheme run by the NHS.
The programme, run by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, received more than 12,000 applications from graduates hoping to start in September 2009.
A thousand have now been chosen from their test results to be interviewed for selection and attend the final 24-hour Leadership Challenge, out of which around 220 applicants will be offered a place on the scheme in one of four specialisms: Finance Management, General Management, HR Management or Informatics Management.
It is thought the explosion of interest is, in part, down to an increased focus on the relatively safe public sector after the economic turbulence of the credit crunch. The NHS is also an attractive proposition for those looking for job satisfaction and wishing to give something back to society.
Ben Roberts, a trainee at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "For me, the NHS was always where I wanted to work, I wanted to make a difference and didn't want to spend my career making money for a private company.
"The scheme is giving me the opportunity to learn about the NHS, how it works and how managers fit into it. It's also helping me to develop the skills I'll need to become a successful manager."
