Victorian Government graduate program

If you think a career in the public service is something to be proud of, then we want to hear from you.

We’re less interested in your grade point average and more interested in who you are.

We want people who are creative, curious, have a drive to learn and live our shared values of integrity, respect and human rights. 

Victoria’s strength is in its diversity of backgrounds and lived experience. 

We want graduates that reflect the community we serve.

If you’re an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person or a person with disability, then check out the pathways you can opt into.

For all applicants, we have streams you can choose from, where we look for strengths in:

• verbal and written communication
• problem solving and analytics
• adaptability and resilience
• teamwork and stakeholder engagement.

When you apply, you must:

• have completed your undergraduate or postgraduate degree or the same as level 7 and above of the Australian Qualifications Framework(opens in a new window) between 1 January 2022 and 1 January 2025
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident 
• not be on a temporary graduate visa(opens in a new window)
• not have taken a voluntary redundancy from the Victorian public sector in the 3 years up to the program start date of 3 February 2025.

You'll work in 3 roles across different departments and get:

• a starting salary of $62,604 plus super
• personal and professional training
• mentoring from executives
• training in general and specialised areas
• flexible working conditions, such as hybrid working
• a chance to build networks with like-minded graduates across government
• a promotion and pay rise to more than $74,500 plus super at the program’s end
• access to future career opportunities that are only available to people who work in the Victorian Public Service.

For most streams, there are 10 departments(opens in a new window) and Victoria Police(opens in a new window) you can choose to work in.

And each department has agencies attached to them that you may end up working in.

You’ll work in 3 roles over 12 months across 3 departments.

Your choice of department will help decide where you may start and have an ongoing role.

Work location

All our roles are based in Victoria and the majority of those are based in Melbourne's central business district. You will negotiate your flexible and hybrid work arrangements with your employer in each rotation. The Victorian Government’s flexible work policy(opens in a new window) aims to strike a balance between your needs and the requirements of the role and team.

We’ll:

• never share your information with anyone without your consent
• leave it up to you, if you want to tell your employer or peers about yourself.

Read our privacy policy(opens in a new window) to see what we collect and why.

What you’ve studied

You can apply to this stream with any undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

What work you’ll do

You’ll do a broad range of work so you’re well-rounded and experience different perspectives and ideas. 

Some of the roles we offer in this stream are:

• policy officer
• communications officer
• project officer
• community engagement officer
• organisational development officer
• corporate governance graduate.

What you’ve studied

You can apply to this stream if you have majors in: 

• accounting
• banking
• business management
• commerce
• finance.

What work you’ll do

You’ll draw on your accounting and finance skills in every placement in this stream.

You’ll get support towards Chartered Accountant or Chartered Practicing Accountant accreditation.

What you’ve studied

You can apply to this stream if you have majors in: 

• biostatistics
• computer science
• data analytics
• data science
• econometrics
• engineering
• information technology
• mathematics
• modelling
• science
• statistics.

You’ll have an advantage if you have coding experience in languages like Python, R, MATLAB, SAS, SQL and so on.

What work you’ll do

You’ll work with a diverse range of datasets and analytics tools to improve the lives of Victorians.

What you’ve studied

You can apply to this stream if you have majors in economics or econometrics.

What work you’ll do

You’ll contribute to a prosperous Victoria and play a role in managing our economy. 

To solve real-world economic problems, you may apply:

• experimental economics
• behavioural economics
• market design principles.

Unlike other streams, most roles in this stream are with the Department of Treasury and Finance.

You’ll still work in 3 different roles, but there’s a high chance two of those roles will be in the same department.
 

It’s important the Victorian Public Service reflects the community we serve.

To help us make the public service diverse and inclusive, we’ve made pathways for:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants
• applicants with disability.

You still choose a stream to apply for and you can let us know about any adjustments you already use or know you’ll need.

Note that although these are alternative pathways into the program, if you apply this way you are still considered against all candidates for the same roles.

The Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander pathway is an alternative entry pathway for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

You can opt to use this pathway if you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
 
This support is flexible and tailored to you.

It includes things like:

• support with your application
• support from your own pathway manager
• one-on-ones during the application process
• regular contact and catch ups with the Aboriginal Employment Unit at the Victorian Public Sector Commission.  

If you would like to talk to someone about the Aboriginal pathway please contact the Aboriginal Employment Unit at aboriginal.employment@vpsc.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) or or call the graduate employment team on 03 9922 8600.

Some graduate roles available may give you priority consideration as per the Special Measures provision of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010(opens in a new window).

Watch the video below to hear graduates Amber and Lauren talk about their experience of the pathway:

Barring Djinang

This pathway is an initiative of Victoria’s public sector Aboriginal Employment Strategy, Barring Djinang(opens in a new window).

The team in charge of Barring Djinang works with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander public sector employees.

If you get into the program, check out what else in the Barring Djinang strategy could help you as a public servant.

Your privacy

We’ll:

• never share your information with anyone without your consent
• leave it up to you, if you want to tell your employer or peers about yourself.

Read our privacy policy(opens in a new window) to see what we collect and why.

We want applicants with disability to have an equitable experience.

So we’ve taken action to make our process fair for people with disability.

You don’t need to share any information about your disability to apply through this pathway or throughout the program.  

Support when you apply

If you opt into this pathway, we’ll work with you to give you flexible and tailored support in the application process.

For example, previous applicants have had these adjustments: 

• audio description and live captioning for assessments
• materials in larger font
• more time to answer questions in the interview
• more time to do the online test.

These are just examples and we’ll work with you based on your needs.

Support if you get into the program

If you get into the program, we’ll check in with you and your manager regularly to see what support you need to succeed.

We’ll make a real effort to listen to your needs and act on what you say.

Other ways we’ll support you are:

• access to workplace adjustments and flexible work
• ways to connect with peers with disability.

Our action plan for people with disability

This pathway is an initiative of Victoria’s public sector disability employment action plan, Getting to Work.(opens in a new window)

The plan aims to raise the number of people with disability who work in the public sector to at least 12% by 2025.

The plan has 3 focus areas:

1. build awareness through access to information
2. attract and recruit people with disability
3. support employees with disability.

We believe that people with disability make the public sector stronger and better reflect our diverse Victorian community.

Some graduate roles available may give you priority consideration as per the Special Measures provision of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010(opens in a new window).

Speak to us about the disability pathway

If you’re unsure whether to opt in, get in touch with us for a confidential chat at GraduateDisabilityLiaison@vpsc.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) or on 03 9922 8600.

Your privacy about your disability

We’ll:

• never share your information with anyone without your consent
• leave it up to you if you want to tell your employer or peers about yourself.

Read our privacy policy(opens in a new window) to see what we collect and why.