Health Education England (HEE) has launched funded leadership training offers for pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy technicians will be able to develop their leadership skills with funded places on two training programmes.

The offer forms part of work to ensure that the current workforce of pharmacy technicians benefits from increased post-registration opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

Working with the NHS Leadership Academy, HEE will be funding leadership training offers on the Mary Seacole and Rosalind Franklin programmes.

Applications are already open and close on 10 January. Successful applicants will be notified the week beginning 16 January. The programmes will begin in February 2023.

55 places on the Mary Seacole programme and 12 places on the Rosalind Franklin programme will be available to pharmacy technicians who meet the eligibility criteria. The criteria include being a GPhC registered pharmacy technician working in any sector in England and at least two years post qualification. For the Mary Seacole programme, the applicant should be a first-time leader in health and care in a ‘formal’ position of leadership with responsibilities for people and services. For the Rosalind Franklin programme, the applicant should be a mid-level leader aspiring to lead large and complex programmes, departments, services, or systems.

Helen Porter, pharmacy dean at HEE, said: “These training offers are fantastic opportunities for pharmacy technicians to develop their leadership skills.

“It is so important that for the pharmacy workforce as a whole that these opportunities are available. It recognises the need for a cohort of senior pharmacy technician leaders and the vital contribution they make to patients and health care systems.

“The Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Support Staff Workforce Development Strategy demonstrated the value of post-registration opportunities and these funded places are a response to that.”