Guidance

Join the Graduate or Experienced Entrant programmes

Published 23 October 2018

At the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) there are a variety of policy areas where you can make a real difference to the development of policies that will have an impact on the UK, Europe and the world for decades to come.

We are looking for outstanding candidates who can demonstrate leadership potential to join our Development Programmes. Both schemes entail 2 12-month placements, 2 years in total, providing development opportunities which will best place you for a quick progression:

• our Graduate Programme is targeted at recent graduates with outstanding potential
• our Experienced Entrant Programme is looking for those with relevant work experience who would like to change, restart or progress in policy and leadership within BEIS.

About us

At BEIS, we work to deliver the government’s vision at a time of momentous change. BEIS is a department at the heart of the government’s agenda, with an aim to deliver an economy that works for everyone.

In your role at BEIS, you could be directly involved in pivotal projects such as preparing for the UK’s departure from the European Union, leading the way to a low carbon future, or creating an economy which boosts productivity and earning power throughout the UK.

There is a broad range of exciting opportunities available across the department in priority policy. Entrants on our talent programmes will undertake placements in 2 of the different policy groups across BEIS, which are currently:

• EU Exit & Analysis
• Energy & Security
• Market Frameworks
• Business & Science
• Enterprise
• Energy Transformation & Clean Growth

BEIS prides itself on its inclusive, supportive working culture. We actively encourage each other to be open, honest and innovative, and champion diversity in everything that we do. Find more about BEIS’ support networks and commitment to diversity.

A learning environment where it is safe to ask questions, receive feedback and push yourself at your own pace is a key part of fostering this culture. Our employees receive ongoing support and encouragement from the start of their career with BEIS. From leadership potential to empowering under-represented groups with fairer opportunities, there will be something here for you.

So, if you’re ready to do something genuinely visionary with your career, apply today.

Graduate Programme

Your role

As a graduate entrant, you will join the department as a Higher Executive Officer (HEO).

We are looking for individuals to lead on policy, strategy and relationship management across their designated portfolio.

What we’re looking for

In your new role, you will help to develop solutions that are fit-for-purpose. You will have to:

• be comfortable conducting independent research and analysing complex information
• develop and present policy options founded in a clear evidence base
• juggle multiple priorities effectively and expertly
• work with resilience in policy areas that can be fluid or uncertain
• demonstrate good judgement on when to bring up issues, and when to resolve them independently
• work closely with other departments and partners, collaborating towards common goals
• provide advice for ministers on your findings and proposals

As a graduate entrant, we do not expect you to have prior experience in a policy field. However, we do expect you to have strong communication, numerical and analytical abilities gained throughout your degree and extracurricular experience.

You should also have an understanding of the UK’s political landscape, and share our enthusiasm for devising BEIS policy that will shape the UK’s relationship with business, Europe and the world for decades to come.

Learning and development offer

As a BEIS graduate you will receive learning and development above that of a standard HEO, with a view to quick progression.

All BEIS graduates will complete a Level 4 Policy Apprenticeship. This is an exciting new apprenticeship which has just been approved for delivery, which will give you the tools to perform exceptionally in a policy role. The apprenticeship will take 24 months to complete and is expected to take 20% of your working hours.

An Induction Fortnight will be an exciting introduction to working in Policy at BEIS, and an opportunity to get to know the 2019 cohort of BEIS graduates. You can expect an introduction to working in Whitehall and Parliament, writing briefs, correspondence, running workshops and much more.

Action Learning Sets (ALS) are small groups of 6 to 8 people who meet regularly to discuss and share current challenges and issues from their current role. The set discuss, share support and suggest action to address the issues.

Monthly cohort meetings to get to know your cohort better, train, and share insight and challenges.

You will also be given first access to a range of exciting development opportunities within BEIS, such as seminars, interviewing, and volunteering opportunities.

Progression and rotation

While at BEIS you will undertake 2 placements of one year. These will be in 2 of the different 7 Policy Groups within BEIS. This will give you a breadth of experience of external exposure, working with ministers and cross-government policy working.

At the end of the Graduate Programme, you will be supported in your application to an Senior Executive Officer (SEO) role in BEIS (currently £38,500 a year).

Eligibility

You should have:

• achieved or be expected to achieve at least a 2:2 degree classification in any discipline by August 2019 (if you have already graduated, you should have done so within the last 3 years)
• at least 5 GCSEs at grade C and above, or the new grade 4 and above, including English Language and Maths, or equivalent
• the right to work in the UK

Apply

The current campaign is closed for applications.

Please keep up to date with all BEIS jobs by setting up Alerts on CS Jobs, and following us online or on social media here:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• BEIS Careers site

Experienced Entrant Programme

Your role

On the Experienced Entrant Programme, you will join the department as a Senior Executive Officer (SEO). Across your designated portfolio, you will lead on policy, strategy and relationship management, developing solutions that are fit-for-purpose.

What we’re looking for

Entering as an SEO, we expect you to have the maturity to lead on certain policy areas, guiding your colleagues in their work and acting as a representative for the department. We look for individuals that work effectively in teams, collaborating with a range of different stakeholders in order to deliver high quality advice and services.

You should be able to:

• work autonomously and take responsibility for a specific policy area to develop new policies and legislation
• take the initiative to conduct independent research and analysis to tackle problems, supporting your conclusions with solid, robust evidence
• lead on policy areas with confidence and maturity
• be intellectually curious and willing to ask questions, creatively exploring alternative approaches to the challenges at hand
• demonstrate resilience to changing/uncertain environments
• communicate effectively, both verbally and through clear, succinct written mediums, to ensure the team works collaboratively to produce the best results
• offer clear, constructive advice on the best way to tackle challenges
• have excellent numerical, analytical and written skills

This is a phenomenal opportunity for proactive individuals with the drive to take the lead in seeing a project through to completion. With meaningful experience in a policy environment (or with relevant experience and knowledge that can be applied to the above areas), you should be politically astute, and keen to contribute to securing the best future for the British people.

Learning and development offer

As a BEIS Experienced Entrant you have demonstrated strong leadership potential and will benefit from learning and development above that of a standard SEO, with a view to accelerated progression.

All BEIS Experienced Entrants will have the choice of either will completing a Level 4 Policy Apprenticeship or a Level 5 Leadership and Management Apprenticeship.

The Policy Apprenticeship is an exciting new apprenticeship which has just been approved for delivery, which will give you the tools to perform exceptionally in a policy role.

The Leadership Apprenticeship takes 18 months to complete and is expected to take 20% of your working time. It will give you the qualifications, skills and grounding to be able to become an outstanding manager through effective leadership practices at a higher level.

An Induction Week will be an exciting introduction to working in Policy at BEIS, and an opportunity to get to know the 2019 cohort of Experienced Entrants. You can expect an introduction to working in Whitehall and Parliament, writing briefs running workshops, talks from senior leaders, and much more.

Action Learning Sets (ALS) are small groups of 6-8 people who meet regularly to discuss and share current challenges and issues from their current role. The set discuss, share support and suggest action to address the issues.

Monthly Cohort Meetings to get to know your cohort better, train, and share insight and challenges.

You will also be given first access to a range of exciting development opportunities within BEIS, such as seminars, interviewing, and volunteering opportunities.

Progression and rotation

While at BEIS you will undertake 2 placements of 1 year. These will be in 2 of the 7 different Groups within BEIS. This will give you a breadth of experience of external exposure, working with ministers and cross-government policy working.

At the end of the Experienced Entrant Programme, you will be supported in your application to a Grade 7 role in BEIS (currently £51,300 per year).

Eligibility

You should have:

• the relevant work experience and be looking to change, restart or progress your career in policy within BEIS
• at least 5 GCSEs at grade C and above, or the new grade 4 and above, including English Language and Maths, or equivalent
• the right to work in the UK
• you should also have been resident in the UK for at least 2 of the 10 years immediately before application (including at least 1 continuous 12-month period)

Apply

The current campaign is closed for applications.

Please keep up to date with all BEIS jobs by setting up Alerts on CS Jobs, and following us online or on social media here:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• BEIS Careers site

Benefits of working for BEIS

When you join us, you can expect a healthy work/life balance, with our generous benefits package including:

Leave entitlement

• 25 days of annual leave (increasing by 1/year, capped at 30)
• 8 bank holidays (plus an additional ‘privilege’ day)
• volunteering days
• flexible working culture: allowing you and your line manager to establish the most effective working pattern for you and/or family’s needs. This includes options such as:
  • flexi days
  • working from home
  • customised working patterns (such as compressed hours)

Learning, development and progression

• ongoing training and development opportunities – both personal and professional
• an emphasis on Continual Professional Development (CPD), no matter what your grade or position
• see Graduate/Experienced Entrant ‘Your Journey’ Sections for scheme specific learning offers

Pension scheme

The Civil Service provides a generous pension offer to its employees, with the option of 2 different pension schemes. Find out more about pensions.

Workplace support

At BEIS, we champion people from all walks of life and work hard to be as inclusive as possible to as many people as possible. BEIS has over 20 networks and groups for different interests and concerns. You can find links to some examples of our support networks and further information below:

• Parental Support Network
• Workplace Adjustments
• Part Time Workers Network
• Women’s Network
• Age Diversity Group

Frequently asked questions

What are the differences in expectation between the Graduate and Experienced Entrant Schemes?

Those on the Graduate Scheme enter at HEO grade, while Experienced Entrants start at SEO. Roles at SEO require significantly deeper levels of team and policy responsibility. SEOs will have greater stretch in terms of advisory responsibilities, which may cut across several policy areas. There is an expectation of more acute and mature judgement in the face of complex challenges, and a requirement in some circumstances to lead small policy teams of HEOs.

How many people do you expect to recruit?

We are expecting to recruit around 15 Graduates and 30 Experienced Entrants to start work at BEIS in 2019.

I’m a current Civil Servant, can I apply to these programmes?

Yes, current Civil Servants are welcome to apply so long as they meet the other selection criteria.

I’m not a recent graduate, can I still apply to the Graduate Programme?

You should have graduated within the last three years - if you have over 3 years relevant work experience, you should consider whether the Experienced Entrant Programme is a better match for your skills and experience.

Can I apply if I have a degree from another country?

We accept applications from candidates with overseas degrees, provided that they can supply evidence that their degree is at a comparable level to a British 2:2 classification. The National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) provides information about the comparability of different international qualifications.

Can I choose which part of BEIS I will be allocated to for my placements?

You will be given an opportunity to express preferences regarding your placements, but we allocate placements to successful candidates based on candidate background, experience, and the priority policy areas within the departments. We encourage applicants to keep an open mind to working in the wide variety of exciting policy areas in BEIS.

I didn’t obtain a 2:2 classification in my degree, can I continue with my application for the Graduate Scheme?

No – all BEIS Graduates are required to hold an undergraduate degree in any discipline within a minimum 2:2 classification by the time they start in role. This also applies to applicants who have a Master’s degree with a classification of 2:2 of above.

Do I need to have a degree to apply for the Experienced Entrant scheme?

No, but you do need to have relevant experience in an area while having developed the relevant skills for a SEO Policy role in BEIS. 

How does the security vetting process work?

All staff need security clearance to be able to work in BEIS and job offers are conditional on successfully passing this security clearance. If you are successful and accept a job offer, you will be asked to complete an online form so that the full security clearance process can be carried out. You’ll receive more information about the process at this point.

If I’m successful, can I defer my start date?

Graduate applicants: if you already know you aren’t available for work in September 2019 you should wait until next year to apply. 

Experienced Entrant applicants: you will be given the choice of starting in role either in April or July 2019. If you know you cannot start work at either of these times, you should wait until next year to apply.  

However, if you apply successfully and there’s been a change to your circumstances that means you’re unable to start at these times, you can contact the BEIS Recruitment Team to discuss the possibility of deferring your start date. Deferrals will be considered on a case by case basis and will be for a maximum of 12 months from when you indicated you could start on your application form. Where we do offer deferrals to 2020, the deferred job offer is provisional until we have confirmed approval for 2020 recruitment numbers.

If I have a disability, will this be taken into account during the assessment process?

Yes. During your application, you will have the opportunity to mention any disabilities you have and any adjustments you require. BEIS will take this into account and make whatever reasonable adjustments we can during the application process.

Where will I be based?

The majority of our roles will be based in 1 Victoria Street, Westminster. A minority of roles may be available elsewhere in London.

What will my working arrangements be?

Both schemes offer full time roles by default. Some roles may be available for part-time or flexible working arrangements. These can be discussed after offer stage on a one-by-one basis

What pension arrangements will be provided?

See ‘Benefits of working for BEIS’.

How does the BEIS Graduate Scheme differ from the Civil Service Fast Stream? Are you part of the Fast Stream?

We are not part of the Civil Service Fast Stream, so you need to apply to us directly via this website. These are the main differences between BEIS’s graduate scheme and the Fast Stream:

The Civil Service Fast Stream offers a different learning and development package across government over a longer timeframe. At BEIS, our scheme is entirely policy focused and our candidates will undertake 2 12-month placements which will develop their policy experience purely within BEIS.

Will I have a permanent job at the end of the scheme?

For both schemes, following successful completion of your 6-month probation period you will be a permanent member of staff and Civil Service. To be promoted at the end of the schemes (2 years), you will need to pass the end of scheme assessments. If you do not pass these assessments, you will have a permanent role in BEIS at your substantive grade and be able to apply for roles on promotion as you wish.

Further information

• About BEIS
• Success Profiles (the new Government Recruitment Framework)
• The Civil Service Commission recruitment principles
• The government’s apprenticeship commitment
• Careers in BEIS