FaHCSIA Graduate Program

Improving the lives of Australians

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) Graduate Program is an exciting and challenging opportunity for graduates of all ages. The program offers two five-month rotations, providing on-the-job development and meaningful work.

FaHCSIA is looking for graduates who can work as part of a team and who have:

• sound analytical and research skills
• initiative
• great people and communication skills
• a client service focus
• the flexibility to work on a variety of projects.

FaHCSIA offers graduates a dynamic workplace and rewarding career with the potential to make a difference by implementing various social policies and programs.

FaHCSIA has the following Graduate program streams available:

• Generalist
• Finance
• social policy analysis analysis
• Information Technology

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Graduate program streams

Finance

Graduates in the finance stream will be offered work in the Business and Financial Services Group, where they may be working on tasks such as:

• financial reporting, planning and analysis
• taxation
• financial policy and governance
• financial systems
• asset management
• accounts payable and accounts receivable
• appropriations and cash management
• Budget estimates, modelling, costing and strategy
• performance management, business improvement and network support.

All finance stream graduate positions are based in Canberra and FaHCSIA strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and people with disability.

What FaHCSIA is looking for
FaHCSIA encourages graduates from the following academic disciplines to apply:

• Business
• Accounting
• Commerce
• Finance.

• attending the CPA Australia Annual Congress, which is held in Canberra in November
• undertaking the Chartered Accountants Program qualification offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia or the CPA Program qualification offered by CPA Australia.

In addition, the program provides participants with access to networks through leadership and peer support, including networking with senior executives, buddying with previous Graduate Program participants, and attending workshops and seminars on relevant issues.

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Generalist

FaHCSIA encourages applications from all disciplines for the generalist stream, including, but not limited to:

• legal
• communications, media and public affairs
• psychology
• economics
• mathematics
• social science and research
• social geography
• statistics
• demography
• engineering.

Graduates in the generalist stream will work in policy, program, corporate support, and legal and compliance areas. In this stream, graduates will complete two five-month rotations providing on-the-job development and meaningful work.

Positions in the generalist stream are based in Canberra. There may be opportunities during the first work placement to work in regional and state offices, however applicants should be prepared to relocate to Canberra if accepted into the program.

FaHCSIA strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and people with disability.

What FaHCSIA is looking for
FaHCSIA has an incredibly diverse portfolio, so whatever the degree, there will be a suitable area for graduates to apply their skills and knowledge.

Training
Graduates will undertake the Certificate IV in Government and will have the opportunity to supplement this training with further FaHCSIA-specific courses.

The program provides participants with access to networks through leadership and peer support, including networking with senior executives, buddying with previous Graduate Program participants. Graduates can also attend workshops and seminars on relevant industry issues.

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Information Technology

• Network operations and service provision and management
• Enterprise grants management (Siebel)
• Geospatial mapping and reporting  (Mapinfo/Hyperion)
• Financial management and HR (SAP)
• Remote Service Delivery (Satellite communications)
• Online collaboration tools (Web technologies and SharePoint).

FaHCSIA has more than 3,300 staff in 40 sites around Australia. Regional offices are based in capital cities and across rural Australia.

The technical environment offers a wide range of infrastructure and applications software components, including:

• Microsoft Windows 2003 Active Directory
• Windows Server 2003 R2
• Clustering Services
• Exchange 2003
• Windows XP Professional SP2
• Office 2003 Professional SP2
• SharePoint 2007
• Live Communication Server and Office Communicator
• Systems Management Server 2003
• SQL Server 2005
• .Net
• Interwoven/iManage FileSite
• SAP
• Siebel CRM
• Citrix Presentation Server 4.0
• Tivoli Storage Manager.

Current hardware includes Dell and Lenovo workstations and laptops, primarily Hewlett-Packard servers, and Cisco communications infrastructure. Anti-virus and disk encryption protection software is employed at various levels.

FaHCSIA is committed to continuous improvement of the ICT platform that supports the Department's business. Current strategy includes technical architecture programs that ensure stable and robust ICT that maintain our platforms at technology's leading edge.
IT stream graduates will be offered work in an ICT branch within the Information Management and Technology Group.

All Graduate positions in the ICT graduate stream are based in Canberra and FaHCSIA strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and people with disability.

What FaHCSIA is looking for
FaHCSIA is looking for enthusiastic IT graduates who can think laterally and innovatively to contribute to developing solutions in key technology and IT process areas for the Department, including:

• IT Security including computer forensics and cyber security
• Development and support of statistical modelling and geospatial (mapping) tools
• Evolution of solution architecture and design approaches
• Automation of business processes via increased online service delivery.

FaHCSIA is also looking for higher level analytical and conceptual thinking skills and the ability to collaborate across a range of teams and foster the client service culture.

Training
FaHCSIA provides graduates in the ICT stream with specific ICT training including:

• Siebel
• SAP
• Word XML
• ITIL
• PRINCE2
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Office suite
• Microsoft IDOCS
• .Net

Participants will also have access to internal training, industry memberships, and professional programs through the Australian Computer Society.

Graduates will undertake the Certificate IV in Government and will have the opportunity to supplement this training with further FaHCSIA-specific courses.

The program provides graduates with access to networks through leadership and peer support, including networking with senior executives, buddying with previous Graduate Program participants, and attending workshops and seminars on relevant issues.

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social policy analysis analysis

FaHCSIA operates in a dynamic social policy analysis environment that provides the opportunity to:

• develop innovative policy advice and set the direction for policy investments
• create and disseminate the evidence base that drives policy and program development
• engage with international organisations and share Australia’s social policy analysis experiences
• develop productive business relationships that support delivery of its business outcomes.

Graduates in this stream will have the opportunity to assist in developing robust social policy analysis advice based on sound evidence and in managing key programs, including:

• payments to individuals and families (for example, Age Pension, Family Tax Benefit)
• international income support arrangements
• effective coalitions and partnerships across the Australian Government.

What FaHCSIA is looking for
This stream is suited to people who are good at problem solving and pay attention to detail, but who can also think strategically and see the big picture.  FaHCSIA encourage graduates from diverse educational backgrounds including: mathematics, engineering, software engineering, physics, applied sociology, economics and econometrics.    

Graduates with general quantitative and data skills are strongly encouraged to apply to this stream.

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