Erin
Home State
New South Wales
University
Australian National University
Qualifications
Bachelor Arts/Laws
Background
In my final years of uni, I had started to think about the inevitability of graduating and moving away from the relative security of study. I wasn't confident in my ability to jump straight into a law firm or to compete against skilled workers out in the 'real world' as I had basically no relevant work experience apart from the retail stints I had done while studying. Eventually I decided to turn to a graduate program in the public sector as I figured that a year-long graduate program would give me the ability to develop my skills and get training and experience while working in a sheltered environment. I was pleased when I was offered the position at DEWHA as I had a background in drama and literature and was keen to get the chance to work in the Arts. However, as DEWHA's portfolio is so wide, I also felt that I could gain experience in a range of areas, many of which are so interesting and topical.
So far the program has been a great bridge between study and work and I feel as though I am gaining the skills and experience necessary to either target positions in the private sector or make a career within the department.
Placements
First Placement
Historic Heritage North, Heritage Division
In this rotation I found that I was able to utilise skills I had learnt at uni even though I had no formal knowledge of history or heritage work. I was given two main projects to work on. The first project was to compile an inventory of images and buy the permissions to use them in a publication which the heritage division was managing. The second project was to research and write a report on the heritage importance of areas in the East Kimberley region which were associated with early explorers. This was an interesting project to work on as the Kimberley was well publicised in the media at the time as a result of the proposal to build a gas hub station in the region.
In this rotation I gained experience in things such as writing professionally and communicating with external bodies, and also learnt much about general government processes. It was often exciting to contribute to projects that I would see discussed on the news and to feel that the work I was doing mattered.
Second Placement
Compliance and Quality Assurance, Home Insulation Program (now known as Compliance, Energy Efficiency Taskforce)
In this rotation I worked on the implementation of the compliance components of the Home Insulation Program. The Program began its compliance phase on 1 July 2009 and I began the rotation in May 2009. It was a great opportunity to be able to see the processes which go into implementing such a huge Program and then to see the processes in action.
Although the implementation of a Program has its fair share of problems considering that there are no established practices, there were many opportunities to learn and to suggest and develop business processes. There were also many opportunities to talk to the public who were participating in the Program and to try and provide good customer service.
The rotation provided an excellent chance to play a small part in such a large project - one of the biggest that the Department has ever undertaken.
Third Placement
Literature and Lending Rights, Culture Division
In this rotation I assisted in organising the Prime Minister's Literary Awards and also assisted in coordinating the Government's response to the proposed changes to the copyright restrictions on the parallel importation of books.
I gained a lot of experience in writing letters to the public (including to some famous authors) and writing briefs and departmental papers on the issues surrounding the proposed changes.
Organising the Prime Minister's Literary Awards really helped me to develop my organisational skills as I had to liaise with the shortlisted authors and the judges of the Awards to organise flights and accommodation to the shortlisting and winner's events. I also had to gain experience in procurement in order to process a lot of the costs involved.
In this rotation I was lucky enough to be able to attend the shortlisting event in Melbourne and then the winner's event in Sydney where I was able to meet the authors and see Minister Garrett announce the winners.
Permanent Placement
Compliance and Quality Assurance, Home Insulation Program (now known as Compliance, Energy Efficiency Taskforce)
For my permanent placement I have chosen to return to the Compliance team. Over the short time when I was away from the section, many changes have taken place and the team is now more fully established and is part of the newly established Energy Efficiency Taskforce. The section is now bigger and better than ever and I hope to be able to work here and see out the life of the Program.
'the best thing about working for us ... is the environment'