The recently introduced Australian Public Service (APS) Digital Traineeship Program aims to create employment opportunities for underrepresented groups while increasing the pool of skilled digital professionals and improving the digital capability of the APS.
We spoke with Jo Cantle MAHRI, acting Assistant Commissioner of Professions and Pathways at the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), to find out how this new program can assist HR professionals find and retain digital talent.
Jo describes the program as the start of a journey to build the digital capability of the APS, as it was identified as a critical skill gap. Organisations such as Google, Microsoft and IBM are still considered the ‘go-to’ for professionals starting their digital career, rather than the APS.
One approach for the APS to expand the talent pipeline is to diversify the digital workforce, targeting underrepresented groups and creating an offer for people in regional and remote locations. Jo explains, “By tapping into talent that we’ve never tapped into before, we can potentially give people in regional and remote areas the opportunity to consider a career in the APS, where they never would have been able to previously.” Helping underrepresented people also provides the benefit to the government and APS by growing the talent pipeline.
“It’s important to note that this is not an entry-level program, rather a career change program. It’s not just young people coming out of school but older Australians transitioning back into the workforce. Whether it be women returning to work after maternity leave, veterans transitioning back into civilian life or their spouses who have left the workforce to follow their partner. We have people coming into the program with a lot of experience and skills that you don’t normally get through the entry-level programs.”
Unlike other programs, the Digital Traineeship Program can be used as a year-round recruitment tool. Applicants can be picked from the merit list at any time and are not limited to a February start date. This is just one benefit the APSC has noted since the program was implemented.
Agencies that recruit using program participants will onboard someone job-ready with previous work experience and skills that would otherwise be missing from the APS. As the program continues to develop into a future workforce pipeline, the APS will achieve a greater digital capacity and offer a career path that could expand to any discipline or industry.
For more information about the program and how to connect with digital-trained employees, check out the Digital Traineeship Program website.