FOUNDATION TRAINING YEAR RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR 26/27


NICPLD are now in the delivery phase of the recruitment process for FTY 2627 with the student application window open from 2nd – 25th June. Students from across the UK were eligible to apply for the 200 positions on offer in Northern Ireland. The process was designed to run concurrently with the Oriel process for positions in Great Britain. With QUB & UU graduates exceeding the Foundation Training cap, this allows students to consider alternative options.


Shortlisted students will be informed in July and invited to interview in September. Interviews will take place via Zoom, using the Multi-Mini Interview format. A group consisting of Pharmacists from both sectors including early- career pharmacists, academia and NICPLD, HR &


equality specialists, a patient representative, and a psychometrician, are developing questions mapped to the Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Professional Attributes Framework and suitable scoring mechanisms.


NICPLD have also invited pharmacists and HR specialists from both sectors to become MMI Assessors and the Task & Finish Group has secured funding from DoH to support community pharmacists providing this vital role.


Over 200 training placements have been offered by Community Pharmacies for each 6-month period. This will provide plenty of choice for students when considering their options during the preferencing period.


Preferencing will take place in October, with provisional allocations confirmed by mid-December.


NICPLD will provide further information and guidance to you for the post-selection phases.


UCA-NI will continue to work with the Task & Finish group and NICPLD to represent your views and interests as we continue to develop this process.


More information will be provided to you in the autumn, focussing on the process for preferencing and provisional allocation of a student to a pharmacy.


Please get in touch if you have any questions or concerns about the new process.


GETTING READY FOR FTY 2025-26


AccessNI Checks As part of the FTY2526 Framework declarations, pharmacies were asked to complete an Enhanced AccessNI check on their incoming Foundation Trainees. Since businesses must process a minimum of 20 checks to register directly with AccessNI, UCA-NI is offering an Umbrella Body Service to support community pharmacies in fulfilling this requirement.


What do you need to do? UCA-NI will provide you with information and template documents to help you register for the Umbrella Body Service and follow AccessNI guidance.


UCA-NI will provide you and your trainees with guidance on how to apply for the checks, which are completed online via NIDirect. Trainees will also need to provide information to UCA-NI to complete the identity verification process.


Once the check has been completed, the trainee will receive an online certificate. As the Umbrella Body UCA-NI is notified and will in turn inform the pharmacy that the certificate is available. You can then contact the trainee and complete the process.


To find out more visit the Foundation Training Year area on the UCA-NI website www.ucani.co.uk or contact Adrienne Clugston – adrienne@ucani.co.uk


FTY Grant The salary element of the FTY grant is currently calculated as: National Living Wage for 21+ x 37hrs per week.


If you employ your Foundation Trainee for more than 37 hours per week, please ensure that their salary is still equivalent to the NLW rate for 21+ (now £12.21ph) x the number of hours worked each week to ensure that you are abiding by national minimum wage requirements. Note that protected study time is considered part of their working week.


Community Pharmacy Management Programme UCA-NI has launched a new-look Foundation Trainee support programme to help trainees prepare for life as a Community Pharmacist.


Due to the change to 6-month placements, we have created a 3-day intensive programme replacing our very successful Foundation Trainee Leadership and Management Programme which so many pharmacies enrolled their trainees on.


Focussing on the main aspects of Community Pharmacy management and being a Responsible Pharmacist, the UCA-NI programme content reflects the core requirements of community pharmacy employers, preparing Foundation Trainees for roles requiring business and management skills.


The programme will run within the 6-month placement period in Community Pharmacy, allowing participants to put their learning into practice immediately.


Course content


Day 1: Successful Business Management • Effective purchasing & reimbursement • Prescription coding / submission


• Use of technology • Service delivery • Private service development • Marketing / outreach


Day 2: Effective People Management • Improving customer experience & reducing risk of complaints


• Team motivation & development • Being a Responsible Pharmacist • Critical thinking & effective decision making


Day 3: Vaccination Training


The £375 + VAT fee will include the AccessNI service fee and enrolment for both cohorts – Aug & Feb - is now open.


Enrol online from the Foundation Training Year page on www.ucani.co.uk or email office@ucani.co.uk with your trainee name, contact details & start date.


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