Looking for talent in new places
With the unemployment rate at an all-time low and competition for talent at an all-time high, it’s time to think outside the box when it comes to recruitment strategies. This year, the APS HR Professional Stream partnered with 14 departments and agencies to implement some new ideas for recruitment and target new markets for talent. To find out all the details, we sat down with Amelia Mitry, Program Manager for the Australian Government HR School Leaver program.
Amelia explained that the program targets a relatively new market for the APS – Year 12 graduates. It aims to set them up for a HR career while also helping us to address gaps early in the talent pipeline at the APS 1 and 2 level.
“Not many employers were targeting this group in their attraction strategies and were only focused on the Graduate level for entry level roles, so we had a competitive edge,” explains Amelia.
“Many Year 12 students don’t know what they want to do when they finish high school and want options other than progressing through to university straight away. The program has been designed specifically to cater to this group, offering a full-time job with standard business hours and formal training as an alternative option.”
Developing the program
The APS HR Graduate Program was used as a guide to build the program. The school leavers are supported to be stretched and developed through the program to ensure they are ready for an APS 2 level upon completion. The HR Professional Stream used their cross-agency networks to assess interest in the program and confirm what locations and how many positions they could host. This information also informed the location strategy.
“We developed a learning program to support the school leavers’ regular structured on-the-job training and highlighted how a career in HR is all about supporting both an organisation and its people to achieve their goals. We partnered with a training provider to help with the formal learning aspect of the program – a Certificate IV in HR Management which participants receive upon successful completion,” explains Amelia.
The formal qualification aims to further enhance participants’ education experience to help progress their career in HR.
The tasks school leavers undertake include:
- supporting HR teams
- helping with recruitment activities
- processing payroll
- organising training sessions
- managing employee records.
Amelia shared that her team worked with agencies to recognise recruiting school leavers as a long-term investment in the talent pipeline.
“Many participating agencies across the service don’t have established APS 1 and APS 2 level roles, so we had to work together to create them. We had to bring agencies along for the journey by sharing the benefits the program would bring and why investing in school leavers and creating these roles was in their best interest,” Amelia said.
Participating agencies were encouraged to consider placements in their offices outside of Canberra to widen the scope of the talent pool. An advertising campaign was put to market targeting upcoming and recent school leavers and government connections with schools and local communities were utilised to help spread the word. The program began in early 2022 and will finish at the end of this year.
Results
While the first round of the HR School Leaver Program is still underway, Amelia says it’s showing great results.
“The program offered 24 placements in Canberra, Sydney, and Adelaide in our first year and we are expanding this further in 2023,” she said.
“Our program managers and participating agencies have reported numerous benefits in recruiting school leavers. They have a fantastic attitude and willingness to learn, and they are tech savvy and able to easily adopt to systems and technology in the workplace. The program has brought diversity of thought and experience into our workforce.”
Participant review
We asked current participant Emily about her experience with the program and her plans upon finishing.
“I’m looking to continue working in the APS and seeking other opportunities to expand my skills and knowledge of HR. I would definitely recommend this program to other recent high school graduates,” Emily said.
The positive feedback about the program was reflected in the recently completed recruitment process for the 2023 program. The recruitment round saw an increase of more than 31% in applications from the first year. With such a strong pool of candidates, the APS HR Professional Stream is well placed to partner with even more agencies next year. If you haven’t already indicated your interest, you may still be able to participate! Be sure to reach out to APSHRProfessionalStream@ato.gov.au to discuss.
Top tips
Amelia shares her top 5 tips for agencies looking at targeting a new talent pool:
- Don’t rely on what you have always done – be agile and creative.
- Take risks to trial new approaches.
- Invest in developing people.
- Consider attracting more diverse and different perspectives.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel – reach out to your HR connections across the APS to learn from their experiences.
If you have any examples of how you’ve implemented different recruitment strategies in your department or agency, the APS HR Professional Stream would love to hear from you. Share them on the HR Professional Stream GovTeams page!