Standards
This website is Bobby Approved and conforms to WAI accessibility guidelines at Conformance level 'A'.
Accessibility options
You can adjust your browser settings to increase the sizes of type on the page and can change the colours of the text and the page background to aid visibility. The newer your web browser, the more choices you will have. How you can make these changes varies from browser to browser; the Help section on your web browser will give more details.
Screen display
Use the Display options for your computer to improve the view on the screen. Features include high-contrast colour schemes, larger standard fonts, screen magnifiers and improvements to the visibility of the mouse pointer and cursors.
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Contact us
If you have a query or comment we would be glad to hear from you. You can e-mail us by clicking the Contact us button on the toolbar at the top of each page.
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Find out more
The "find out more" bar at the bottom of the screen will take you to the Public Appointments Unit website where you can find further details about public appointments and public bodies
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Glossary
- Browser. The program you are currently using. A browser provides a way to look at and interact with all the information on the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are the two browsers used by the vast majority of Internet users. This site has been designed to be viewed using Netscape Navigator 7.0+ and Internet Explorer 5.0+.
- Hyperlink. A hyperlink (or hypertext link) is a highlighted word or picture that can be selected with a mouse or in some other fashion, which then shows another web page or site.
- OCPA - Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The independent Commissioner for Public Appointments is responsible for monitoring public appointments to ensure that all appointments made on merit and use processes that are fair, open and transparent
- Public appointment. An appointment to the board of a public body. This could be as a member, Chair or in some other capacity
- Public Appointments Unit. A Cabinet Office unit responsible for public appointment policy and encouraging diversity in public appointments. The Unit also manages this website.
- Public body. Public bodies are organisations set up by Government Ministers to provide independent advice or to administer some aspect of public service. Each is sponsored by a Government Department, but is not part of the department and operates at arms length. There are currently just over 900 public bodies in the United Kingdom .
- Search engine. A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found.
- Toolbar. In the graphical user interface (GUI) for a computer, a toolbar is a horizontal row or vertical column of selectable image "buttons" that give the user a constantly visible reminder of and an easy way to select certain functions, such as moving pages forwards or backwards within a Web browser.
Linking to other sites
You can move directly from this site to others using the following links:
Above the toolbar
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- will take you to the Government's Directgov website which provides access to government services on the internet. |
| Play a part | - will take you to the Public Appointments Unit website where you will find further information about public appointments and public bodies in general |
Home Page
Here you will find links to the web sites of the Scottish Assembly, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly, for details of appointments within those areas
At the bottom of each page you will also see
"To find out more about public appointments and public bodies Go >"
Click on this link to move to the Directgov website where you will find further information about public appointments and public bodies (what is involved becoming a public appointee, etc.).
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Moving around the site
- If you are viewing details of individual appointments, the next and previous page buttons will move you through the list of vacancies you have selected.
- If you are on the summary page, page number links - [1] 2 3 etc.- will enable you to navigate through the list
New Vacancies
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- Vacancies with the "new" label are those posted in
the website within the last two weeks. |
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New Search
To run a new search, click the 'New Search' button on the toolbar and enter new search criteria. Then press Go
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Printing
To print Appointment details click on the 'View Printer Friendly Page' button then click on your browser print button or press Ctrl and P simultaneously
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Searching
On this site you can search for general public appointment vacancies in England or vacancies on public bodies that have a national remit.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
If you are interested in an appointment on a public body that has a remit only within Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland then go to the Home Page and click on one of
- Only in Scotland
- Only in Wales
- Only in Northern Ireland
To return to this website, click your browser 'back' button
England and appointments with a national remit
The Public Appointments Vacancies website allows you to search for appointments on public bodies that operate in England or across the whole of the UK. To search, click the 'New Search' button on the toolbar.
Defining your search criteria
To start a search click the 'New Search' button on the toolbar.
To view a complete list of all current vacancies click "View all opportunities Go >" at the top of the search page.
Alternatively, you can search for appointments that match any or all of the following criteria according to your interests and experience. You can:
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Select one or more areas of interest from the 'Areas of Interest' list.
Click the appropriate area of interest or select several by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking all appropriate areas. - Type in a keyword that relates to your specific area of interest or expertise, eg.Teaching.
- Select a particular Government department - for example the Department of Trade and Industry - to view only appointments on public bodies sponsored by that department. Click to highlight the department that you wish to select.
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Select by location. To search by location, click to highlight the location you
are interested in viewing. The regions relate to the Government Regional
Offices. Some public bodies might meet in more than one location, in which case
this is shown by "Various" appearing in the meeting location box with further
details in the role specification box. Then press "Go >"
Whichever way you choose to search, a list of results showing vacancies that match your criteria will be displayed. The list includes the appointment title, the organisation, the location and the closing date for applications. Appointments that have been posted in the last two weeks are marked as "NEW"
Click on the Appointment title (Member, Chair etc) of the appointment you are interested in and you will be show details of that vacancy and how to apply
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Technical Help
Browser Equipment
This site is best viewed using Netscape 7.0 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
This site is Bobby Approved and conforms to WAI accessibility guidelines at Conformance level 'A'. It can be accessed using JAWS Supernova v4 screen reader.
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Vacancy Details
Vacancy details show:
- Appointment title - whether it is a Member of a board, Chair, Treasurer etc
- Organisation - the name of the public body with the vacancy
- Location - the region where the public body operates or most frequently meets, this might be more than one location and will be indicated as "Various"
- Start date of appointment - the date on which you would be expected to take up the appointment. This could be a specific date or more general eg Autumn 2004
- Closing date for applications - the last date by which your application must be received.
- Length of appointment - the length of the initial appointment. Some posts allow for re-appointment for a further term
- Time commitment - an estimate of the amount of time involved. This may not include time spent in preparing for meetings
- Remuneration -most appointments are unpaid, but some do include remuneration.
- Expenses - most boards reimburse expenses, although the specific terms vary. This box will give you an indication of the type of expenses you can claim
- Role specification - this gives details of the role and responsibilities of the post.
- Person specification - this gives details of the skills and qualities required. It will distinguish, if appropriate, which are basic requirements and which are desirable but not absolutely necessary.
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How to apply - This will vary from post to post. This section may also include
this symbol
to show that the appointment competition is run in line with the OCPA Code.
- Telephone etc - contact details of those running the appointment procedure
- Website of organisation - direct link to the website of the public body (if appropriate)
Don't forget that you can use the "previous" and "next" buttons to move through the appointments you have selected.
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