What is it? Now 60 years old, the National Health Service (NHS) is the largest single organisation in Europe, with more than 1.3 million staff. It has an annual budget in excess of £100 billion and is responsible for the care of all 60 million residents in the UK. The service is used by an average of 4.5 million patients each week.

Which jobs are on offer? The NHS is planning to hire about 250 graduates for its management training schemes in England and Scotland in 2009 (the scheme is not recruiting in Wales this year). There are four different programmes - finance, general management, human resources and informatics (technology and information management). Training lasts two years (longer for finance) and includes work experience, an education and development programme, plus support to achieve a postgraduate or professional qualification. In Scotland, trainees complete a third year of work while completing an MSc in Health and Public Leadership.

Where are the jobs? The NHS graduate management training scheme is delivered throughout England and Scotland. Trainees can nominate a preferred location but graduates are expected to be mobile within that area.

What's the pay? Graduates joining the NHS are paid about £21,500 in England, £21,000 in Scotland.

What's the competition? The NHS does not publish the numbers but says: “We expect to receive many more applications than there are places.” A minimum of a 2.2 is required and selection includes online testing, interviews and a final-round leadership challenge event.

How is the NHS rated? Six years ago the NHS only just made the top 30 within The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers; now it is one of the UK's top five employers for university-leavers and the top-rated public sector employer.

How do I apply? Applications for the 2009 NHS graduate schemes in England close this Friday, November 28. The deadline for Scotland is January 7. See www.nhsgraduates.co.uk or www.mts.scot.nhs.uk for details.

The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers is based on research with more than 15,000 final-year university students. www.Top100GraduateEmployers.com

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