Training

Training schemes and opportunities

The STFC gained the Investors in People award in May 2001 in recognition of its commitment to staff development.

Graduate schemes

As a graduate trainee joining the Council you will be employed in one of our departments to do a 'real' job and much of your learning and development will come from the experience of delivering 'real' work, often for paying customers.

However you will also follow a training scheme for at least your first two years with us. Where appropriate this will be an externally accredited scheme such as our Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) or Institute of Physics accredited schemes which allow engineers and physicists with relevant degrees to work towards Chartered status. If an appropriate external scheme does not exist you will follow our own in-house graduate training scheme.

Whichever route you take, you will receive support to develop an individual learning and development plan which identifies the key technical and personal competences you need to develop during your first two years. You will be supported in your development by your manager and also by a mentor, and you will be provided with opportunities to learn from a combination of on the job experience and formal off the job training events.

You will be able to take advantage of the wide range of opportunities and support available to our staff including:

• On site courses and workshops in management, personal development, computing and health and safety.
• Integrated Management Development Programme supported by the Standards of Management Excellence (SME) competancy framework.
• Support to attend external technical courses and conferences.
• Support to gain professional qualifications relevant to the job.
• Accredited management courses including the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Introductory Certificate.
• On site technical lectures and courses.
• Informal Learning Lunches.
• Excellent libraries at both our main sites.
• Extensive open learning resource collections.

Personal development programme

For Graduate Trainees a personal development programme takes place every other year. Events are designed to meet the needs of the trainees at that time taking into account any graduates with disabilities or any other special needs and in 2010 this was a very successful Tall Ships event.