Defence

Feature

Pathways to career success

It's application time again, and as the statements of claims are ranked and re-ranked, and as regional assessment centres brace themselves for the influx of hundreds of hopefuls, Alanna Henderson takes a closer look at the Graduate Development Program (GDP) and the people who make it happen.

The GDP is run from the Directorate of Leadership Development in the Defence Personnel Executive, and is overseen by First Assistant Secretary Personnel, Peter Sharp, who liaises with the Secretary on behalf of the program. It is the largest graduate program in Defence and places its graduates in rotations within all the Services and Groups (the Defence Materiel Organisation, Defence Signals Directorate, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, Defence Science and Technology Organisation and Navy Systems Command also run specific graduate programs to cater to their specific needs).

Graduates are split into five development streams: generalist, people, finance/business, infrastructure and information. The graduates undertake three rotations in their graduate year and complete a training program that includes a one-week familiarisation tour of regional establishments. The graduates can bid for a preferred rotation, and placements are then allocated on a balance of these preferences, the graduate's developmental needs, and Defence's priorities.

Graduates are also linked up with a mentor who can introduce them to the way things are done in Defence, and lend a friendly ear throughout their rotations. Many mentors are past graduates themselves, who remember the enormous benefit of having someone removed from their immediate chain of command that can provide help and advice.

This year, like past years, there have been around 1200 applicants for an expected 70 positions in 2006. While this would seem like a healthy level of interest, both within and outside the Australian Public Service the competition for the high calibre graduates is increasing. The Secretary personally increased the size of the 2005 program by 20 places in a measure designed to counter the looming recruitment problem.

There's no such thing as a typical graduate - the fact that they've done a degree is generally the only thing the grads have in common! In the 2005 cohort, the average age is 25, with an age range spanning almost twenty years. The majority have spent several years working and travelling since finishing university.

"There are five key qualities that the GDP looks for in an applicant," explains Jenny Curtis, the Assistant Manager of the GDP, "communication, problem-solving and analytical skills, leadership ability, teamwork and the desire to work in Defence".

She also looks for people that are keen and bright - but also realistic about what to expect in the first year. The graduate program is not a ticket to success, but rather the starting point of a career in which those qualities are constantly challenged and developed.

Snapshot: Graduates through the years

Four graduates from the last decade demonstrate that adaptability, motivation and the willingness to learn new skills are not qualities that go out of fashion after the first year - in fact, they are crucial to a fulfilling career in Defence.

Warren Karle - 1994 Graduate and currently Director, Cabinet and Senior Committees, Coordination and Public Affairs Division

In 1994 there was only one stream consisting of 35 graduates in the graduate program. Warren remembers it as a high-profile program, due to the high level of support from the then Secretary Tony Ayers. It was generally recognised around Canberra as the best-resourced graduate scheme.

Warren moved around very different areas of Defence both in his graduate year and in the years following. "You learn that if you want to be a manager in Defence, you need a more holistic picture of how Defence operates," he explains. In Warren's experience, the more successful graduates see their careers as an extended version of the rotation system, and develop habits of "getting out of their comfort zone and learning new skills".

As a manager, Warren looks for three qualities in the new ranks of graduates: people who take the broader view of government and understand that their role is to support the Minister, people with communication skills and people who are skilled at building strong working relationships.

Martha Sumrada (Veigli) - 1995 Graduate and currently Assistant Director, Ethics, Inspector-General's Division

It's no exaggeration to say that Martha came to Defence by accident - she was training to be a teacher when her daughter convinced her to attend a Public Service assessment. Martha joined Defence with 30 graduates in the generalist stream.

Martha recalls the scramble for the 'cool' jobs, but notes that graduates who worked in less high-profile areas found they gained many unexpected and more transferable skills. Initially disappointed with her final placement in a section she knew nothing about, Martha says it turned out to be most interesting work. As a Project Officer in a commercial environment, her role included tender evaluation and contract management tasks (including accompanying a committee in a Blackhawk!).

Her advice to new graduates? If initially disappointed with a rotation or position in Defence, remember to be optimistic and therefore open to the benefits of diverse and surprisingly valuable experience - even if not immediately apparent.

Sean Kahl - 1998 Graduate currently working in the Defence Intelligence Organisation

The opportunity to work in intelligence was the primary reason Sean joined Defence in 1998. After rotations in Defence Health, the Defence Security Authority and International Policy Division, Sean joined the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) for his final placement as an analyst and continued to broaden his experience by moving to several different areas within that organisation.

Now a human resources practitioner in DIO, Sean sees recruitment and retention as current issues for the Department, but is optimistic about Defence's ability to respond to the coming challenges. He suggests that, in the future, there may be an onus on individual Groups and Services - rather than Defence as a whole - to attract and retain talented people.

In today's graduates, Sean looks for lateral and creative thinking abilities, excellent written and oral communication skills (which he believes have declined somewhat in recent years) and people skills, such as the ability to liaise, negotiate and proactively create networks.

Rebecca Shrimpton - 2001 Graduate and currently Deputy Director, Strategic Assessments, Strategic Policy Division

Rebecca's decision to join Defence was a continuation of her academic work into the causes of conflict: she had completed a Bachelor's in Police Studies, majoring in International Relations, and a BLitt in Strategic Studies, before entering the graduate program. She undertook a regional rotation with Joint Logistics Command in Melbourne and stayed in the city after her graduate year. Rebecca recalls her regional placement as a very valuable experience but, after accepting a three-month post in Bougainville as a civilian monitor, she moved back to Canberra to concentrate on policy.

Rebecca's experience in Strategy Group gives her a positive outlook on Defence's performance. "Our recent track record in operations has been brilliant," she says. "Defence has got better at prioritising what we need to do, we don't always manage to convince everyone of that."

She thinks that Defence is getting better at working at the whole-of-Government level, which in turn serves the Department's interests better.

Rebecca thinks this year's crop of graduates shows commendable enthusiasm and initiative, and advises them to be proactive in seeking out interesting and challenging work, rather than waiting for it to be presented to them. She highlights the importance of meeting as many people as possible and creating networks among the graduate group, in building a successful and fulfilling career in Defence.

Snapshot: Meet today's graduates

2005 graduates (left to right) Tim Bryson, Alice Brentnall, Phil Darling and Duncan Ashby. Photo by Kathryn Fitch

The breadth of experience in the 2005 graduate intake proves that there is no such thing as a 'typical' graduate. With vastly different experiences, motivations and dreams for the future, each graduate brings a unique outlook to their new career in Defence.

Duncan Ashby

After five years in banking at Goldman Sachs JB Were, Duncan decided on a change of direction and joined the Department of Agriculture before moving into the GDP. Having experienced both worlds, he argues that the difference between the public and the private sector is exaggerated: while people work just as hard in the public sector, the working conditions are more favourable for people who want a work-life balance.

This year, Duncan has taken the opportunity to become a reservist with the Army, and finds that, as well as being enjoyable, it complements his civilian job. As a new starter in Defence, he says, "I didn't realise there was so much integration between the civilians and military within the Department". He finds that embarking on the reserve officer-training course not only gives him valuable skills in leadership but gives him an insight into the military perspective.

Phil Darling

Phil is certainly the 'darling' of this year's graduate group - he and his wife have just given birth to their first child. With an education degree in Industrial Arts, Phil taught high-school students in Lake Grace, Bunbury and Perth, WA, before joining Ansett as a flight attendant. He worked for Ansett for seven years, completing a postgraduate diploma in human resources part-time and becoming a workplace delegate for the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia. When the company collapsed, he went back to teaching, this time in Kununurra in the Kimberley.

A People Stream graduate, Phil credits his experiences with Ansett with giving him an understanding of industrial relations, "even if it was from the other side of the fence". Phil joined Defence with the encouragement of a friend from Perth who had previously joined Defence as a graduate. Her example, and the appealing culture of the organisation, convinced him to make another career change and move to Canberra. His only regret? "The weather" - in Canberra, of course!

Daniel Ong

2005 graduate Daniel Ong.

As a former soldier, Daniel has had more experience of Defence life than most other graduates do. He went into the army straight after high school and served under then Brigadier Peter Cosgrove in 8/9 RAR, relishing the camaraderie and esprit de corps of the organisation.

Daniel then went to university to study surely one of the rarest degree combinations in Australia: a joint degree in Aviation and Theology. While undertaking this degree, he obtained his pilot's licence and decided to put his skills to good use by working with youth in Madagascar and Zimbabwe. Having learnt French for his work in Africa, he then moved to France to pursue further studies, and later moved back to Melbourne to complete postgraduate work in political science and public policy administration.

Working in Defence gave Daniel the chance to combine his academic interests and his love for the army life: he has joined the Army reserve officer-training course. He sees his experience in the reserves as a bridge between the military and civilian worlds and describes Defence as a "unique department" because of the way the two leadership styles have amalgamated.

Alice Brentnall

Variety is the spice of life for Alice. A keen traveller, she has journeyed to South America four times and experienced life on several continents. After completing studies at the Australian National University, she obtained qualifications in teaching English as a second language and worked as an international student liaison officer before joining Defence.

Having worked both in the private and the public sector, Alice appreciates the conditions and work-life balance of the Australian Public Service. As she puts it, when you have been around the world and seen how other people live, the attractions are obvious: "Sign me up!" is her firm response.

The daughter of a Defence employee, Alice grew up in the 'Defence world'. When she decided to join the public service herself, Defence seemed a natural choice because of the opportunities to experience many different work areas in the one career. It also offers other benefits to someone with a wide range of outside interests: Alice keeps up her Spanish in conversation classes at Russell, and has joined the Army reserves.

Tim Bryson

Tim's route into the public service was more circuitous than most. The son of a missionary, he spent the early years of his life in a remote village in Papua New Guinea before moving to South Australia at age 13. He is experience with different cultures led him to a career in agrarian development, and during his degree in winemaking and viticulture he spent a year in India, studying agricultural methods in developing countries.

Fate took him in a different direction in 1998, when he was selected to star in the second series of the ABC's Race Around the World television programme. He filed short documentaries from Papua New Guinea (PNG), India, Bangladesh, Yemen, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Holland, Spain, Belize and Panama - a crash course in journalism that demanded adaptability, creativity and spontaneity. Upon his return to Australia, he worked as a freelance filmmaker and journalist for two years, before returning to India as a reporter with a Dateline-type news program on CNBC India.

With a young family, Tim decided to move back to Adelaide, where he studied International Relations before joining the public service. Tim's race around the world hasn't exactly brought him full circle, but in one surprising way history has repeated itself - one of his childhood playmates from the village in PNG is currently an army trainer at the Royal Military College Duntroon, where Tim worked in his first graduate rotation.

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