Interested in applying for the Digital Traineeship Program? The closing date is Sunday, 18 June 2023 at 11:30pm (AEST).
The Australian Government has a new program aimed at increasing the pool of skilled digital professionals and improving the digital capability of the APS. The traineeship program will create employment opportunities for First Nations peoples, women, older people, veterans transitioning to civilian roles and their spouses, with 1,000 participants over the next 4 years. It will support people starting their career, moving between careers or re‑entering the workforce into digital roles, and will focus on attracting people from under-represented groups.
Employment opportunities will be flexible and available throughout the year in regional and metropolitan locations. Participants will gain a certificate or diploma qualification in a digital or technology related field, will be supported by a dedicated mentor, while participating in paid employment with the APS.
If you’re unfamiliar with APS applications, here are some tips to help you understand what to do.
Tip 1: Read all information about the program
It’s easy to miss important information, so make sure you read:
Tip 2: Notice and understand important details
On the Digital Traineeship Program page, pay attention to these details.
Key features
-Use your life experience and transferable skills
“Earn a salary based on an assessment of your skills and experience against the Work Level Standards in the Australian Public Service (APS).”
Understand what transferable skills are and how to express them. See the article: Understanding transferable skills.
The Candidate Information Pack shows that the roles available are for APS 1-6. You can learn about the differences between these levels by reading the Work Level Standards.
-Opportunities across Australia
“Opportunities are available in regional and metro locations across Australia.”
Details of where these opportunities are, are not given. If you have a particular query, ask. See Get in touch below.
-Change to a rewarding career in digital
“A digital career in government offers you the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work that benefits Australians and our society. Be part of Australia’s digital future.”
Given one of the questions on the online application form is Why are you applying for the Digital Traineeship Program? What do you find interesting or exciting about digital? You need to do some research into what ‘Australia’s digital future’ means. Websites that provide some background information on this are:
For example, read Demand for digital skills increasing and spreading.
-Complete a qualification
“You’ll study for a Certificate IV or Diploma (or equivalent), supported by on-the-job training, mentorship and experience.”
It may be useful to ask about what these qualifications are and to identify which ones are of interest to you so you can use this information to inform your application.
-As you work and study, you will be supported by:
“membership of the Digital Profession communities.”
Learn more about the APS Digital Profession and how this may fit with your career goals. It may be relevant to your application.
-Digital roles available through the program
“Digital roles are not just traditional or technical IT disciplines.”
A list of what digital roles include is given. This is important information because part of the application form asks you to identify which digital roles interest you most:
- Applications support
- Big data and data analytics
- Content design
- Cyber security
- Delivery management
- Digital media
- Infrastructure support
- Interaction design
- Networking
- Performance analysis
- Product management
- Programming
- Service design
- Software engineering
- Systems testing, analysis and design
- User research
- Web development
Understand what each of these areas mean and decide which ones are of interest, and why.
-Participating agencies and departments
“The program will be open to all Australian Government departments and agencies. Successful applicants will be matched with an agency that suits their skills, experience and career aspirations.”
-Opportunities in locations across Australia
“The program will offer opportunities in regional and metro locations, where you can stay in your community, while building a meaningful and rewarding career. Your working arrangements depend on your employer, and your flexible and remote working arrangements may be available.”
At the time of writing, there appears to be no information about which agencies and departments are participating in the program, nor locations. If you wish to find out about specific details, ask. See Get in touch below.
-Assessment and placement process
“We welcome all applicants who are interested in digital or technical roles, who want to re-skill or are looking for a career change to digital. Successful applicants will go through assessment process and will be placed into a talent pool (called a merit pool). People in the merit pool may be offered a role based on a match with the needs of an employing agency. This may include (but is not limited to) the identified level of the role, current and transferable skills/experience, area of study, interest and location.”
Your application includes explaining why you are interested in digital or technical roles, why and how you wish to reskill, and/or why you are looking for a career change to digital. See Preview application form below.
-There are several stages to the selection process.
“Step 1: Apply
Prepare and submit your application. Your application will be assessed after the closing date.”
Notice there is no information about what to include in the application. See Preview application form below.
-Get in touch
“If you have any questions about starting your new digital career with the Australian Government, you can email digitaltraineeship@apsc.gov.au.”
If you have any queries about the program, ask.
-Apply now
This link takes you to a new page headed Digital Traineeship Program. This is the recruitment page that gives information about the application process. Some of this information duplicates what’s on the previous page.
Notice that it invites you to consider a meaningful career change:
“Join a team of experienced professionals working together to solve problems faced by Australians. The Digital Traineeship program recognises the skills you’ve already mastered and works with you to build new ones.”
Think about why you want a career change, if that applies to you, and what problems faced by Australians you wish to solve and how digital skills will help.
“Your application will be considered for all participating agencies and your preferences taken into account to match you with a role that suits your skills, experience, interests and career aspirations.”
This tells you that you only have to submit one application.
-Want more information?
- Candidate Information Pack
- Preview application form
Two of the most important pieces of information are the Candidate Information Pack and the Preview application form, as both documents give you information not found elsewhere and which tells you what to include in your application.
Tip 3: Carefully read the Candidate Information Pack
What to notice.
Roles available cover several levels in the APS: 1-6. You can learn about the differences between these levels by reading the Work Level Standards. When you respond to the application questions, consider which level your experience best matches.
Roles may be ongoing, full-time or part-time. ‘Ongoing’ means you’re employed without a time limit, and is also known as ‘permanent’ employee.
“Our ideal candidate is someone who wants to share their lived experience to problems facing Australians and is:
- Interested in adding digital skills to their skill set
- Willing to participate in a new program and help it grow
- Open to learning new things and embracing new technology
- Interested in how people, processes and technology work together.”
You need to take this list into account when preparing your responses to the four application questions.
Apply
“Prepare and submit your application. We will review your responses and work-related qualities. If found suitable you will be shortlisted for an interview.”
Note that this gives you no information about the application requirements. You must look at the Preview application form link.
How will my application be assessed?
“Your application will be assessed on your ability to demonstrate that you possess the desire, skills and knowledge to undertaken the Digital Traineeship Program and are based on the information you provide in your application.”
This means you need to answer the four mandatory questions on the application form based on the Ideal Candidate list of desirable skills and interests.
What other assessment will I have to undertake?
- “Virtual interview
- Referee checks.”
While the application form does not appear to ask for referees, you need to be prepared to offer the names of people who can speak on your behalf. Referees need to be able to comment on your skills, qualities, knowledge, experience, qualifications. Ideally, they can comment on your suitability for the traineeship program, based on the Ideal Candidate, and what you are like as a person who could contribute to the APS.
Should you be selected for interview, you will need to prepare by thinking of questions you could be asked and preparing and rehearsing responses.
You may wish to ask if the virtual interview is with live people or is automated.
What is a merit pool?
“A group of suitable candidates that is established on completion of a competitive selection process. The merit pool can be used to fill the same or similar vacancies within a period of 18 months from the date the initial vacancy was advertised in APSJOBS.”
This is useful to know because even if you are not selected immediately, if you are in the merit pool you may receive a later offer of a position.
Tip 4: Preview the application form
The only place you’ll find what the application requirements are is by reading the preview of the application form.
Resume: You will need to upload a resume. For ideas on preparing this document, read this article.
Application: There are four mandatory assessable questions, each asking for a response with a 900 character limit (not words):
- Why are you applying for the Digital Traineeship Program? What do you find interesting or exciting about digital?
- Tell us about your current skills (what are you good at or experienced in) and how you think they will help you to start a digital career in the APS.
- Tell us how you go about balancing multiple things (work, study, hobbies, family, etc.). How do you manage your time and your effort to make sure you can achieve everything you need to?
- Explain a situation where you have listened to, understood and recognised the needs of others. Describe how you went about it.
Tip 5: Ideas for responding to the four questions
To respond to the four questions, consider the information you have gained from the above reading and research, keeping in mind the ideal candidate requirements:
- Interested in adding digital skills to their skill set
- Willing to participate in a new program and help it grow
- Open to learning new things and embracing new technology
- Interested in how people, processes and technology work together.
Think about the level of role you think you would be suitable for, APS 1-6. While the application form does not ask for your preferred level, a judgement will be made, based on the information you give, as to what level you may be suitable for. You need to give examples that reflect that level of seniority, such as the level of responsibility you had, the complexity of the problems you dealt with, whether you supervised others.
Consider these questions when preparing responses to the four application questions:
- Why are you interested in the specific digital roles you have identified?
- Why are they important for solving problems faced by Australians?
- What skills and training have you already completed?
- How have you already used these skills or observed someone else using them?
- What insights has your past experience given you into problems you are now interested in?
- What skills and experience have you gained that are relevant to or transferable to the new roles?
- Why are you interested in a change in career?
- Think of a time when you had to balance multiple things. Explain how you managed your time and effort to achieve the results of your efforts, using the SAR structure:
S = situation/context, your role, who was involved, what made it complex, what were the challenges, problems you were facing
A = actions, approach you took to deal with this situation
R = results that flowed from actions, these link back to the challenges in the context to close the story (ie a ‘happy’ ending)
- Think of a situation where you were working with other people. This situation may not be paid work, it could be during studies, volunteer work, as part of a sporting team, working with family or neighbours. Again using the SAR structure, explain the situation, what you did to listen to others, understand and recognise their needs, and respond appropriately, in order to reach an outcome.
Other articles that may help with your application:
- Seven lessons from 2022 about public service job applications.
- Demand for digital skills increasing and spreading.
- Tech jobs: ten aspects job applicants should understand.
- Eleven impacts of technology for APS applicants to consider.
- How to identify types of results.
For a more detailed explanation of how to tackle public service job applications and interviews, consider reading How to Write and Talk to Selection Criteria.