Determining the skills training needs of NHS graduate general management trainees

In 1986 a new graduate training program (GMTSI) was set up in the NHS for general management trainees. The completion of the two year program by the first intake of graduates in the summer of 1988 indicated that more thought needed to be given to identifying the skills and competence training needs in a program of this type. Accordingly, the NHS Training Authority commissioned Warwick Health Services Research Unit to carry out a study into the skills training needs of graduates entering the general management program. The methods adopted involved firstly group and individual semi-structured interviews with participants and managers to identify a wide range of possible skills and competences, and secondly a postal survey of all 230 trainees and mentors who had experience of the training program to help prioritize these skills. In this manner an extensive amount of information was collected on the preferred principal method of delivery for training in each of the 60 plus skills identified (district placement or management education centre), the optimal timing within the 22 month program for training in each of the skills identified and the relative importance of training for each skill. The present paper presents a selection of the study findings. Furthermore, it outlines the manner in which the project findings are being implemented in one education centre based regional consortium to provide graduate trainees with skills training geared to their immediate and short-term training needs.