Meet recent DFEEST graduates
Carmen
Role: Business Analyst, TAFE SA North (TANI)
Qualifications: Dip Events Management, B Commerce (Accounting), M Business (Hospitality Management)
Graduate intake: 2011
Why the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science, and Technology?
The Department’s objectives align closely with one of my long term goals of contributing my accounting skills to a public service that will ultimately give back to the South Australian community, particularly the aims of improving labour market competitiveness and delivering quality education services.
DFEEST is definitely the right choice for any graduates who want a strong foundation for a career in the South Australian Government, as it provides the opportunity to work with professionals from multicultural backgrounds and share diverse knowledge and experiences.
What was your Graduate year like?
Working in DFEEST at TAFE SA has given me a different perspective on the operational side of how training programs are run. I started my rotation at TAFE SA North doing various budget analysis reports, including a reconciliation report for different types of funding and a cost-benefit analysis report for each subject, based on international student numbers.
After four months, I became an acting Business Analyst responsible for Corporate Services’ budget analysis, the Director of Education’s workgroups and the Northern Council. I also gained excellent experience through various projects such as budget development with savings targets and the overhead allocation process.
What support did you receive?
I not only received great support from my line manager, but also from my colleagues, budget managers and their team, my mentor and the People & Culture team. They were all very supportive as they were always listening and assisting whenever possible.
There were also well-developed graduate orientation and awareness sessions, which gave me the opportunity to enhance my skill set and learn more about DFEEST. And studying for the Certificate IV in Government has definitely strengthened my understanding of the Australian Government.
What are your future career aspirations?
Towards the end of my graduate year, I was offered a Business Analyst (BA) position within TAFE SA North to share an education portfolio budget analysis with another senior BA. I love my new role as I’m able to learn new things every day. I am determined to become a qualified Accountant and a successful leader. Being a DFEEST graduate has taken my professional pathway further than I expected and I’m confident that staying within this Department will lead me to a brighter future.
Emma
Role: Senior Policy Officer, Participation Policy, Participation and Equity Directorate
Qualifications: Bachelor of Social Sciences (Psychology), Bachelor of Health Sciences (Public Health)
Graduate Intake: January 2011
Why the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology?
After university, I was looking for a role where I could leverage my multi-disciplinary background and make a real impact. DFEEST ticked all the boxes, providing a unique opportunity to work on exciting policy issues and programs that meaningfully contribute to the learning, training and employment opportunities of South Australians.
Working at DFEEST hasn’t disappointed; I’ve found the work to be rich, diverse, valued and of high impact, and have enjoyed the challenge of putting my degrees into action.
DFEEST lives up to the claim of an innovative, high-performance culture that invests in its people and provides a good work/life balance.
What was your Graduate year like?
The induction provided the perfect introduction to what the rest of the year would be like – part being thrown out of your comfort zone, part structured support, a big learning curve and also quite a lot of fun!
During my first placement, I assisted with both internal and external corporate communications, as well as event management. As the editor of the internal newsletter, I developed new skills in web publishing software and obtained a broad understanding and appreciation of activity happening across DFEEST.
My second placement saw me involved in a diverse range of strategic and operational policy work to increase broader participation in learning, training and work, particularly for those who are disadvantaged in the labour market. In this placement, I assisted in developing strategic plans for increasing participation in learning, training and work in the regions, I researched and wrote briefings, I helped provide advice and feedback within and on behalf of the directorate, and much more! I was also involved with a number of working groups and panels.
Both placements supported attainment of a Certificate IV in Government, which helped formalise my learning and experiences in a recognised qualification.
Throughout the year, the graduates took part in monthly sessions that consolidated and expanded our knowledge of DFEEST and government’s core business, developed work and career skills and provided networking opportunities.
My graduate year was interesting, challenging, hard work and very worthwhile, from both a professional and personal standpoint. I feel my work has been valued, and that I’ve made a meaningful contribution to the work of the department for South Australians.
What support did you receive?
The DFEEST Graduate Program is strongly supported across the department, which is evident in the graduate program itself, through the resources and opportunities made available to support graduate development and success; and the time and energy committed by directorates, work groups, line managers, colleagues and mentors.
The Graduate Coordinators were an indispensable source of support and advice, in part aided by their backgrounds as past graduates! They guided us through the program, set up opportunities for networking within the department and across government, and were happy to relate their own experiences and pass on their knowledge.
Through a formal mentoring component of the Graduate Program, my mentor was able to pass on experience, expertise and advice gained from many years as a manager in the public sector, and provided a sounding board for ideas and questions to assist in my development.
Throughout the program, I have been able to forge professional and personal relationships with a range of people, and have found DFEEST welcoming and supportive. Without a doubt, these relationships are one of the most rewarding aspects of the DFEEST graduate program.
What are your future career aspirations?
At the conclusion of my graduate contract, I had the opportunity to move into a Senior Policy Officer role. I am enjoying the challenge of ‘stepping up’ and applying the knowledge and skills developed in my graduate year to my new position.
My work at DFEEST challenges me and provides opportunities to continuously learn, improve and develop. One such opportunity I look forward to is my role as the graduate representative for DFEEST on the Intra-governmental Youth Action Committee in 2012.
In the future I hope to move into leadership roles, which is supported by the DFEEST Management Development Program, which is aimed at developing current and future managers and leaders. I am also continuing my university studies in management, assisted by DFEEST’s strong focus on work/life balance and its core belief in continued learning and further education.