Civil Service fast streamer
The Civil Service Fast Stream is an accelerated development programme for graduates preparing them for careers at the highest levels of the Civil Service. Fast streamers are placed in regularly changing roles of intensive responsibility to prepare them for future senior managerial positions.
Working with, and for government, Civil Service fast streamers are exposed to a range of placements in government departments and agencies. Opportunities for secondment into the private sector, charities or other public sector organisations may also be available. Placements usually last around 12 to 18 months.
The precise nature of the job changes from placement to placement but will generally include the following types of roles:
Civil Service fast streamers are expected to become skilled negotiators and good managers. After three to five years’ training, those with an aptitude for the work might be managing a multimillion-pound budget or taking the lead in drafting a government White Paper.
Typical work activities include:
There are six fast stream options to choose from:
The Graduate Fast Stream option is open to people with a degree in any discipline and is sub-divided into four further options: Central Departments; Diplomatic Service; Houses of Parliament; Science and Engineering.
The Analytical Fast Stream option is open to graduates with a relevant degree who wish to pursue a career as an economist, social researcher or statistician.
The HR Fast Stream option is for people wanting to build a career in all areas of the HR profession.
The Technology in Business Fast Stream option is for those who have a strong interest in technology, particularly IT systems, and who want to be involved in managing the government’s use of technology and how this impacts on every area of society.
European Fast Stream is suitable for people seeking a career in the EU institutions and the Northern Ireland for those seeking a Civil Service career in that country.
The majority of fast streamers are recruited from any degree discipline (the exceptions being those entering the streams for statisticians, economists, and science and engineering). A 2:2 honours degree is the minimum entry requirement (2:1 for economists and the technology in business stream). The recruitment process is extremely thorough and places greater emphasis on future potential than past achievement. Additionally, if you have a disability that has prevented you from obtaining a degree, and you can provide alternative evidence of your suitability, the degree requirement may be waived.
Further details about the schemes, eligibility criteria and how to apply are available from the Civil Service Fast Stream website.
Entry is not possible with an HND or foundation degree only. Although not essential for any of the other schemes, postgraduate qualifications are welcomed and are recognised in starting salaries.
Pre-entry experience is not required, although sandwich course placements, vacation visits and work experience are all offered by many government departments. See the Civil Service Jobs for details. The Civil Service Summer Diversity Internships programme aims to improve diversity within graduate recruitment. It also provides a valuable insight into the wide ranging opportunities across the Civil Service.
Candidates to the Fast Stream need to show evidence of the following:
A small number of posts are available only to UK nationals, but most are open to Commonwealth Citizens or European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals with unrestricted right to reside in the UK. The Diplomatic Service has certain residency requirements for applicants (see Civil Service Fast Stream for full details).
Competition is very keen, with thousands of applications for just over 550 vacancies. In 2008, there were approximately 14,500 applicants across the general and specialist Fast Stream programmes.
Applications must be made online, with varying deadlines depending on which stream you are applying for. Candidates are assessed on their drive for results, and their abilities to learn and improve, make decisions, think constructively, build productive relationships and communicate with impact. The application process involves:
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Your initial training will focus on immediate development needs and will start to quickly build the competencies required and expected of you at senior management level. This will begin with an induction course at the National School of Government to introduce you to the Civil Service and the role and responsibilities of a fast streamer.
Training opportunities are comprehensive and you can expect to receive around 15 days’ formal training each year. Most departments will offer you a mentor - usually a senior manager from another team - who can give you extra advice and guidance. You may also be paired with another, more experienced fast streamer until you have settled into your new job and department. On-the-job training will be supplemented by formal training courses and periods of self-study to allow you to learn at your own speed. Many departments, particularly those recruiting fast streamers with technical backgrounds, will also support you in gaining professional qualifications.
Once you have joined the Civil Service Fast Stream programme, you will undertake a variety of jobs in different departments. Roles are usually rotated every 12 to 18 months with scope for transfer between departments, and increasingly secondments, to the private sector. Careers are developed in one of three groups: corporate services; operational delivery; and policy delivery. Fast streamers are expected to gain experience of at least two of these and preferably all three. Although most fast streamers start work in London, secondments may involve moves within or beyond the UK.
Prospects for advancement to higher ranks within the Civil Service are good. Indeed, fast streamers are selected precisely for their potential to achieve this. The emphasis on accelerated promotion enables you to experience a series of jobs as part of a small team but with substantial responsibilities from the start.
First promotion to a more senior post, such as leading a policy team, should come after three to five years.
There is a strong commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) in the Civil Service and it is possible to work towards professional qualifications, for example, in accountancy or personnel, or a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).
The Civil Service is made up of more than 100 departments and agencies (some are very well known, others less so) and employs nearly half a million people. There may be some fluctuation in the number of departments and staff in the coming months or years, as a result of the recent government spending review. The departments work with the government (MPs and ministers) to formulate policy; the agencies deliver those policies.
Civil servants work on all kinds of issues affecting society, from nursery school education, to pensions and fraud investigations. A fast streamer, for example, could be working on trying to improve care for cancer patients or secure EU funding for projects in the UK.
Contrary to popular belief, not all civil servants work in London - indeed, only one in five do so. However, Fast Stream roles usually start out in London. Further to this, the work is not just office-based; many civil servants are out and about meeting the public and visiting other organisations. Many live and work overseas.
All applications to the Civil Service Fast Stream are handled online via the website. Advertisements usually appear in the above publications.
Recuitment agencies rarely advertise vacancies.
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