Check if you’re eligible
To apply you, must be at least 18 years old when you start on the Future Prison Leaders Programme.
You need to have people management experience or:
- hold a degree/level 6 qualification
- or be coming to the end of a degree/level 6 equivalent qualification when applying – and be able to evidence that you have a degree before your contract of employment is issued
You must also:
- have the right to work in the UK and Civil Service (GOV.UK, opens in a new tab)
- pass a minimum fitness test and medical assessment
- be able to secure security clearance at Counter Terrorism Level (CTC).
Register your interest
Applications will open in May 2025 and successful applicants will start the Future Prison Leaders Programme in late December 2025.
Ready to take your first step towards a leadership career like no other?
Complete this short form to register your interest and we’ll let you know when applications for the Future Prison Leaders Programme are open.
During your time on the leadership programme, you might work in a high security prison. You will therefore need CTC security clearance and must have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years. This must be the period immediately before you submit your application, and not any other three-year period, or any other accumulation of time spent in the UK.
From 4 April 2024, the Government increased the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas. The change means that HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) cannot guarantee sponsorship for people seeking sponsorship via the Skilled Worker visa route.
If you do not meet the new eligibility criteria for sponsorship, you will need to consider your options for obtaining and/or maintaining your right to work in the UK. HMPPS will continue to comply with UK Immigration Rules applied in the UK and Civil Service.
You can read more about Skilled Worker visas and the eligibility criteria here.
As your first placement on the leadership programme will be as a prison officer on the frontline, it is vital that you are able to cope with both the emotional and physical demands of the job:
- You will be need to deal with stressful, traumatic and at times emotional issues.
- As it is a physically active job, you will need to pass a medical and fitness assessment as part of the application process. This will include a hearing test and an eyesight test.
- A physical and mental health issue will not necessarily prevent you from doing the job: where appropriate, relevant adjustments will be recommended.
- It is vital that you declare any pre-existing physical and/or mental health conditions, so that we can suitably assess your ability to perform the full range of duties you will need to do as a prison officer. Your information will be considered by the Occupational Health team in a confidential manner.
The application process
Due to the nature of the work and the custodial environment, the application process for all roles in prison is rigorous and takes a number of months to complete.
Let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments
Our Reasonable Adjustment Scheme supports individuals who may face disadvantages in the job assessment process when applying for one of our jobs due to a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability, long-term condition, or short-term need arising from an illness or injury. If you think you might need a reasonable adjustment, simply select the ‘yes’ option in the application form when asked.
The first stage of the application process is online. You will need your National Insurance number and, if you have a degree, proof of your qualification.
You will be asked some eligibility questions, such as your nationality and your right to work in the UK, plus you’ll need to enter some personal details.
You will also need to respond to 2 behaviour-based questions that will ask you to explain how you would respond to scenarios you may face in a prison.
You will be able to choose up to 3 prisons you would like to start the Future Prison Leaders Programme at. Please note, these will be preferences only and cannot be guaranteed.
You will need to complete 2 online assessments that will assess key abilities you will need to be a future prison leader:
- a numerical reasoning test that will assess your ability to interpret and handle numerical data
- and a critical verbal reasoning test that will assess your effectiveness in understanding, interpreting and analysing written information
You will have an opportunity to try practice questions before completing the assessments.
Your results will determine whether you progress to the next stage of the recruitment process.
Successful applicants will be invited to an assessment centre at our specialist training college in Newbold Revel, near Rugby in Warwickshire.
The assessment centre will take a full day and will include an interview, a role-play and a written exercise. The assessment dates are fixed and you must be able to attend one date between 11 and 16 September 2025.
As you will spend your first year on the Future Prison Leaders Programme working as a prison officer, you will also need to take a medical and fitness assessment.
This will include:
- an eye test and hearing test
- basic health screening (BMI and blood pressure checks)
- a grip test
- a shield hold test
- a bleep/shuttle run test
- a speed and agility test
The checks can take 8 to 10 weeks to complete and include a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, Counter Terrorism Check, identity, past employment, social media and other open-source checks. To help us progress you through this stage of the recruitment process, please complete and return your pre-employment check form promptly and provide the requested documentation.
Once you’ve received your provisional offer and passed your pre-employment checks, you will start on the leadership programme in December 2025. You will start your prison officer foundation training in January 2026.
Your foundation training will be at our Newbold Revel training centre in Rugby, Warwickshire and it will be residential. The dates will be fixed and you will need to commit to them.
While we can’t guarantee to be able to do so, we will try to place you at one of the 3 prisons you selected when you submitted your application. This will depend on prison operational needs at the time.
Your work base will be a HMPPS head office location in the region your initial prison is in. Over the course of the 3 years of the leadership programme, you will work in different custodial environments in that region.
Before you start your new role, you will be invited to spend a day in a prison. This will give you an opportunity to see what it’s like working in a prison and as a prison officer. Plus, you’ll get to speak to senior leaders, other staff and prisoners.