When you join the DEWR Graduate Program, you become part the broader APS – a workforce of strong, passionate and proud professionals driving outcomes for the benefit of the Australian community.
A career in the APS offers you purpose and meaning, opportunities to learn and grow, a sense of community and belonging, flexibility and balance and great conditions.
As an APS agency, we aspire to be a model employer. We offer successful candidates attractive employment conditions such as salaries and superannuation, flexible working arrangements, generous leave entitlements and a closedown period over Christmas.
For more information on what a career in the APS looks like, watch the APS EVP video at the bottom of this page or visit the APS Jobs Work With us webpage.
Our purpose at DEWR is to support people to have safe, secure and well-paid work with the skills for a sustainable future.
Secure jobs are vital—driving future economic growth and providing people with certainty. We focus on connecting Australians who are starting, advancing, or changing their career with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to gain or regain employment.
We do this by actively filling skill gaps to support Australia's economic growth by identifying industries with skill shortages, including emerging industries fundamental to the prosperity of individuals, businesses, and their nation. Three specialist Groups lead this work:
We undertake diverse work that supports people to gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need through secure employment to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Our work makes a difference to the lives of all Australians, and we want you to be part of it.
Underpinning our important work is our focus on culture. We recognise that how we do things is equally important as what we achieve. Our people demonstrate the APS Values, which includes being open, thoughtful, curious and candid. We also value employee wellbeing and developing leadership through investment in capability.
Diversity and Inclusion
We recognise that our people are our greatest strength. We strive to create a workforce which represents and understands the needs of Australians, while fostering a work environment that is inclusive, culturally safe, respectful and underpinned by integrity. We do so through the delivery of dedicated diversity and inclusion strategies, plans, programs, events and other initiatives.
We strive to create a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. We are committed to the attraction, retention and positive workplace experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people with caring responsibilities, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people who identify as neurodivergent.
We are committed to actioning the APS-wide Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020-2024, the Australian Public Service Disability Employment Strategy 2020-2025, and the APS Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2026.
Diversity and Inclusion Networks
Our employee-led networks are an essential part of our inclusive and diverse workplace. They offer a way for employees to connect with, find support, and thrive with others in the department.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Networks include:
The networks help to actively drive and promote diversity and inclusion initiatives, celebrating days of significance such as: NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation Week, Pride Month, International Day of People with Disability (among others) with events, engagement activities and other opportunities to get involved.
Social Club
Taking charge of the department’s good vibes is the employee-led Social Club! The Social Club regularly hosts happy hours, the end of year party, pilates and sporting activities, as well as fundraising opportunities. Anyone can join and all ideas for future activities are welcome!
Reward and recognition
We are committed to rewarding our employees for their contributions through formal awards and informal recognition. We host an annual Secretary’s Awards which formally recognises our colleagues who have made a significant contribution to the work of the department, both in how we work and what we deliver.
Career development
We aim to grow leaders at all levels and empower them to make decisions about their work and where they want to go in the future. We offer a range of professional and personal development opportunities, including participation in the Jawun Secondment Program, mentoring programs, professional leadership programs and more!
Connect with us
We want to hear from you! Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook and keep up with what we’re up to here at #TeamDEWR.
We work collaboratively with other APS agencies to recruit talented individuals through other specialty graduate and entry level programs. These speciality graduate programs are co-ordinated centrally by the Australian Government Graduate Program (AGGP).
Applying to one of these speciality streams means you only have to go through the application and selection process for your selected speciality stream once. This streamlined process enables you to be considered for a range of Australian Government agencies.
We are a participating agency in the Economics, Legal, Accounting, Human Resources, Digital (including ICT), Data, Generalist, and STEM Streams, and the Indigenous Graduate Pathway.
To be eligible for our Graduate Program, you will be required to:
The department offers excellent employment conditions with competitive remuneration, superannuation, and employee entitlements. Information relating to salaries is set out in our Enterprise Agreement and Determination. DEWR employees have access to a wide range of allowances and many forms of leave, also available in our Enterprise Agreement and Determination.
A career with us allows you to access many benefits including: