Graduate speeches
At the conclusion of the National Graduate Program the achievements of the graduate group is celebrated at the Graduate ceremony. To hear about the experiences of last years graduates you can read the Graduate Ceremony testimonials:
Chathra Wickramasinghe—IT graduate
Hello and Good morning to the executive staff, the National Graduate Program Team and my fellow graduates,
I’d like to begin my speech with a memory. When I went for the final interview for the Centrelink National Graduate Program, I was told that they would be in contact with me within two weeks. Two weeks past I still hadn’t heard from them, and I was starting get a little anxious. A few days later I received a phone call and was ecstatic to find out that I had actually been selected for the Centrelink National Graduate Program. Although happy I must say moving to a new state did make me feel a bit nervous.
I had mixed emotions for my first day in Canberra. I was leaving my home state, my family and my friends. Leaving behind the comfort of home to embark on a new journey in a foreign place to start my first full time job in my chosen field of study. My initial wariness was immediately dispelled when I met you, my fellow graduates on that Friday afternoon of February 2007. I realised that I was amongst like minded people of diverse cultural backgrounds from all around Australia. During the first week I got a crash course on Centrelink and it's policies. I realised that it was a department of the Australian Government that was established to serve the people of the country. This was much different to my initial understanding that Centrelink only dealt with welfare benefits.
I was happy to discover that I was to be placed in the Portal Applications Team, who were responsible for the development of Customer Portal, which piloted multiple technologies that had not been used in Centrelink previously. At times the National Graduate Program was overwhelming, but I'm glad I made the choice of moving to a different state and start working for Centrelink. I am proud of what I have achieved for my self, and I'm quite sure that it is the same for all of you graduates. In the past year I have received training not only in IT but also in soft skills such as strategic thinking, project management, finance and APS legislation and decision-making.
Many of my colleagues have received similar training and have achieved much. There are graduates from my intake working in areas such as Performance and stress testing, Database Design, IT Security, First contact service offer, Java Frameworks Services, ISIS application support, Application Infrastructure and middleware support, Data communications and in projects such as Tip off recording system, Single User Workspace and the list goes on. And am happy to mention one of my colleagues was privileged to be a research assistant to the CIO of IT. Many of us are proud to say that we have put in a great effort at work during pre and post major and minor releases to minimise any negative impacts and to improve quality of Centrelink IT services.
At Centrelink I have built valuable work relationships with senior colleagues who have provided me guidance with their experience and expertise in the field. I have made friendships with other graduates and the like, that would last a lifetime.
And a year on finishing the National Graduate Program, which has been the base for my career, I feel much self-assured and comfortable at work. I believe I have become a stronger person and built more self-confidence. I have not only gained better skills at IT, but also better skills at communication, team membership and leadership. I have learnt to work under pressure and to take higher responsibility. All this I could not have done on my own, so I thank Centrelink and it’s National Graduate Program Team for giving me and my fellow graduates this opportunity.
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Kate Greig—Generalist graduate
People often ask me what it’s like to be on a graduate program.
I liken it to when I first moved away from home to start uni and lived on campus. Within a day you immediately have a huge group of friends and an amazing support network.
I hadn’t envisioned that when I moved to Canberra my social life would take off so quickly, but every night I was eating dinner in a different apartment at the Bentley Suites and on weekends our entire intake would meet for a barbecue on the hotel lawns. And, of course, what better way is there to spend your first Friday night in Canberra than at Old Parliament House.
I’m sure we would all agree that the worst and by far the most challenging aspect of our relocation to Canberra was trying to find somewhere to live. I was lucky enough to have arranged to live with a school friend who started her graduate program a few weeks before the Centrelink National Graduate Program commenced so by the time I arrived all of the hard work had already been done. Crisis averted.
Joining the Centrelink National Graduate Program meant many things. For some it was their first trip to Canberra and for others it was already home. For me it meant living away from the sea for the first time and for some it meant seeing snow for the first time. It meant moving away from all that was familiar and forming new friendships, some of which will last a life time. For some it meant falling hopelessly in love. For others, who shall remain anonymous, it meant finding out that gullible IS actually a word in the dictionary.
Early on in the Program, for me, it also meant becoming particularly acquainted with the photocopier and laminator (I’m very good at A3 size). I have also demonstrated the ability to throw an exceptional morning tea, whatever the occasion may be, I like to call it ‘boosting branch morale’ and blood pressure.
Without a doubt if there is one thing we have learned within a year at Centrelink it is how to adapt to an environment that is subject to constant change. I keep telling myself that my ability to cope with this will stand me in good stead for my future.
One of the great perks of the National Graduate Program is our extensive learning and development (L&D) schedule. I found study quite impractical so for me it was great to actually have a meaningful job (other than folding Levis at Just Jeans) to relate to and consolidate our learning.
Looking back I cannot believe all of the work I’ve been involved in during one year. A highlight was accompanying the Leading Change Team to Adelaide for the CEO Leadership Dialogue. I must say that this was an outstanding and truly inspiring experience. It makes me proud to be a part of an organisation that will take it’s Senior Executive on the road only to be confronted by Area Leadership about issues affecting their work or grievances they may have.
I’d like to talk about some of the achievements of our intake. We’ve all been involved in high profile and high pressure work, so congratulations to us and thank you to the people that supported us along the way.
I wanted to mention achievements because I think it is fantastic that we can come here and end up performing above and beyond what was ever expected of us. I also wanted to mention it because it demonstrates what a great organisation Centrelink is to work for in terms of the opportunities that are constantly on offer to us, regardless of how little experience we may have.
I sent an email out asking for stories so if I miss something I do apologise, but you only have yourselves to blame. The February 2007 Generalist intake have been involved in the formulation of policy affecting all of Centrelink staff. Two of us acted as Executive Officers. We participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program and some have been accepted back to University to further their education.
I would like to finish on something that is close to my heart. If nothing else, I hope it reinvigorates a sense of pride and purpose.
Some of you may know I work for the Human Resources Advisory Unit in Area Tas. My time in Hobart has been extremely valuable and I now consider myself a very valuable employee having working in both an Area Office and National Support Office. I’ve finished my graduate year and I’m going to stay in Hobart because I feel I have a lot more to learn about people management and my current job keeps me close to the coal face.
I had every intention of coming back to Canberra except I realised that if I want to be a senior public servant, which I will be, I need some credibility. So I’m staying to learn more of the nuts and bolts of HRM.
I have the utmost respect for Centrelink employees, I have recently been doing some customer aggression reporting and I have never seen so much profane language. Our employees get their computer monitors pushed into their laps, they get yelled at and they get threatened, sometimes at their own homes. Regardless of all of this our Employee Survey results show that our staff are still extremely committed to Centrelink’s purpose. So, from a People Support perspective it is very easy for me to go to work and do my job.
Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent, where I’m going with this is how important network exposure is. I simply cannot speak highly enough of it. At every opportunity you get please go out and meet the frontline employees of this organisation, better still go and work WITH them (and I don’t mean by doing an outbound), try to understand their jobs and the challenges that they face day to day. We were all hired as potential leaders of Centrelink so as you progress through this organisation always be mindful of them when you implement policy and procedure and make decisions that affect them. Please always support these people and never lose sight of Centrelink’s purpose.
A big thanks must go to our sponsors, our 2nd rotation hosts, our buddies (those that were present), our mentors and the National Graduate Program Team for all of their support and for putting up with all of us throughout the last year.
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