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Civil Service Fast Stream Recruitment 2008

Published by the Cabinet Office, June 2009

• Introduction and Explanatory Notes
• Headline Figures
• The Fast stream Selection Process
• Fast stream Recruitment in 2008
• Diversity
• In-service

Introduction

The Civil Service Fast Stream is a training and development programme which attracts some of the country's most talented graduates. Fast Streamers are selected for their potential to become the leaders of the future, and it is expected that many will reach the Senior Civil Service.

The Civil Service recruits to the Fast Stream on the basis of fair and open competition and selection on merit. This report summarises Fast Stream recruitment in the year ending November 2008.

• 2008 Fast Stream Recruitment Report in full [PDF 409KB, 22 pages]

To help you understand the Report

The Fast Stream consists of five separate schemes:

• The Graduate Fast Stream. This is the largest. In 2008, applicants could ask to be considered for: Central Departments (essentially the Home Civil Service), the Diplomatic Service, the Houses of Parliament, the Science and Engineering Fast Stream and the DFID Technical Development Option. Because the Graduate Fast Stream accounts for such a large proportion of each year's intake into the Fast Stream, this Report focuses on it separately as well as in the context of the Fast Stream as a whole;
• The Economist Scheme.
• The Statistician Scheme.
• The Government Communications Headquarters scheme.
• The Technology in Business scheme.

The Economist, Statistician and Technology schemes all involve a test of professional aptitude, but the underlying Fast Stream assessment is aligned with that of the Graduate Fast Stream.

The Graduate Fast Stream selection process is briefly explained on page 3. All Graduate Fast Stream options except Central Departments apply some form of final selection procedure after the Assessment Centre before deciding whom to recommend for appointment. However, all candidates who achieve the pass mark at the Assessment Centre have reached the required standard and are guaranteed a place in the Central Departments option if they want it.

There is also an annual competition (the In-Service competition) for serving civil servants who wish to join the Graduate Fast Stream. This too is included in the Report.

Headline figures (for all schemes combined, but excluding the In-Service competition)

• Applications rose to 14,494 in 2008 from 13,619 in 2007¹
• 48.2 per cent of successful candidates were women, an increase from 45 per cent in 2007.
• 9.3 per cent of successful candidates were from ethnic minorities, slightly down from 9.5 per cent in 2007.
• The proportion of successful candidates who consider themselves disabled as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 increased to 12.6 per cent, from 8.7 per cent in 2007.
• The proportion of successful candidates from Oxford and Cambridge Universities fell to 29.1 per cent, from 31.3 per cent in 2007.

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¹ An application is deemed to have been submitted if a candidate has completed the self-assessment and proceeds to take the online tests. See page 3.