Graduate Development Programme

A starting salary of  £25,600 for those candidates with a bachelors degree (or equivalent) or £26,600 for those with a Masters degree, plus a £2,000 welcome payment and £200 per month accommodation allowance whilst on the programme. The accommodation allowance is contingent upon the graduate demonstrating that he/she makes rental payments. See our benefits page for more information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, you can check the comparabilitiy of your qualifications with the following organisations, before making an application:

NARIC: +44(0)871 330 7033, info@naric.org.uk.  Office hours: Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 

If you have obtained equivalent qualifications in the UK, please verify this with Ofqual (Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator) through their website, in advance of submitting your application:

Ofqual: www.ofqual.gov.uk

Our assessment centres are made up of a competency based interview, group exercise and a presentation designed to find out if you've got the initial qualities we're looking for.

On day 1 of the assessment centre, there will be a welcome presentation followed by 90 minutes preparation time (working individually) to prepare for your presentation on day 2. 

On day 2, you will complete a group exercise, presentation and interview.

For each of our development programmes, we have four key competencies: Developing Self, Planning to Achieve, Business & Strategic Awareness and Building Relationships.

This is an interview where we ask you specific questions about your past experiences so that we can gather evidence to measure your capability in a competence, and is designed to find out if you've got the initial qualities we're looking for in a Graduate.

We are happy to consider individuals who wish to defer their entry for a year on a case by case basis, however you do need to go through the recruitment process and have been made an offer first.

For the Technical path you should be studying either a BEng or MEng in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil or Chemical Engineering and be on-line to achieve a 2.2 or above.

Commercial graduates should be studying: either Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Studies, Management, Economics, Maths, Geography, Law, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, History, English, Quantity Surveying, ITMB or Business & Computing and be on-line to achieve a 2.1 or above.

Property graduates should be studying for Property or Real Estate.

Business dress for the assessment centre, such as a suit or jacket, or similar, and smart casual for dinner (smart jeans are acceptable).

You will move into a permanent role in the organisation and continue to use the techniques and tools you have been shown during the development programme to continue to drive your career.

UCAS points are not an essential element of the criteria.

Engineering graduates are supported towards chartership with a relevant institution. In Commercial, there is no one professional qualification. If you need to study for a relevant qualification during your career, there is every opportunity, but we advise commercial candidates to wait until they are in their first post at the end of the programme to decide which professional qualification is relevant for them.

We are recruiting approximately 50 graduates this year across the technical and commercial disciplines. Applications have been in excess of 3,000 in the past.

Your Business Coordinator and Development Specialist will work with you to define the best project rotations for you to undertake in order to accelerate your development both through and after the Graduate Programme. These projects could be in various locations around the UK. We are looking for individuals who strive to deliver exceptional performance from day one and who are keen to take on the most challenging projects in order to drive their development.

We are happy to accept applications from MBA graduates however the starting salary offered will be equivalent to an individual who has studied a Master of Engineering (MEng).

All new starters to National Grid have to complete an Occupational Health questionnaire - if anything is picked up from there then you may need to go on to have a full medical.

However, as part of the pre employment process, all new starters have to pass a drugs and alcohol test.

UCAS points are not part of the selection criteria. A 2:2 is the minimum for engineering applications.

It is best to pick the path most appropriate to you now.

During your first placement, you'll get the opportunity to influence your next rotation. Your Business Coordinator will have a good understanding of the business, and will be able to discuss the right rotation for you. Ultimately each one will give you a better idea of what you want to do in the future.

Preparation is all-important. Be sure to think about your previous experiences (work, education, extra curricular activities etc.) and what you have learned and gained from each of those. It's always good to have a variety of examples at hand. Remember, we are assessing you against the competencies!

It's also essential to do some research into the business - and you can find lots of information about us here on the website.

During the selection process - stay calm, be yourself, don't try to second guess what we are looking for or act out of character otherwise you will only mask your natural strengths and qualities. Whether it's an interview question or a group exercise, listen to what's being asked of you as this will enable you to demonstrate the skills you have.

After meeting our initial programme requirements and successful completion of the Situational Judgement Test, we then go through each submitted application against our set criteria. If you get through this stage, there is a telephone interview asking you competency-based questions. And then, the final step is an assessment centre. You will be assessed against our competencies at each stage of your application, so please be prepared.

September 2012.

All graduates start in September 2012.

It's unlikely, because a commercial graduate probably wouldn't have the relevant technical qualifications or understanding to transfer to the technical or property schemes. But we would take each case on its merits if there was a request.

This is an international business; and because of the nature of some of our projects, we've seen people travel to various countries on assignment. Obviously we can't guarantee that you will; but you never know ...

Assessment Centres will begin in October, and are likely to be held in the Midlands.

37 hours per week, although exact start and finish times can be dependent upon the location and the aspects of your project.

It's difficult to say at the moment. We would ask you to be flexible for the duration of the programme to enable you to take up the variety of opportunities that are on offer.

If you have applied previously, and been unsuccessful, you can apply again for the following recruitment year, although it would be helpful if you could now show some additional experience that would support your case.

No but you must be willing to learn to drive a car and obtain a UK licence by the time you join our Graduate Development Programme. As part of the programme you are required to be mobile and undertake projects anywhere throughout the UK in order to accelerate your development.

A Situational Judgement Test is a series of questions that assess your level of judgement required for solving problems in a work related situation. You are presented with a range of actions that you could take in response to a scenario. It is quick and interesting to complete, and has no time limit, so you can complete it at your own pace. It also gives you an insight into some of the situations you may experience in a working environment.

National Grid is unable to provide sponsorship for this role as it does not meet the sponsorship criteria set by the UK Border Agency under the Points Based System. You must have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship to be considered.

National Grid is unable to provide sponsorship for the graduate role as it does not meet the sponsorship criteria set by the UK Border Agency under the Points Based System. You must have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship to be considered.

You will need to state on your application what basis you are eligible to work in the UK, for example:

• British / European Economic /Swiss/A8 National
• HSMP / Tier 1 Holder
• A2 (Bulgaria / Romania) National
• Dependant Visa
• Indefinite Leave / Settlement

We recommend applying by 8th May 2012 for ITMB/Business Computing and by the 31st May 2012 for engineering applications.  If you apply early, you could pass through the whole recruitment process and receive an offer.  The programme is very popular and will close as soon as we have recruited our numbers for the year.