Graduate programs and internships

Graduate programs help university graduates begin careers that recognise their qualifications and give them experience in real world settings.

They generally vary in length from 6 months to 2 years and provide:

• an income
• training and development
• opportunities to work on different projects to gain broad experience.

An internship involves on-the-job training relating to your skills and qualifications and may be paid or unpaid. They can be described as a more formal version of work experience.

Internships are usually short-term—they can be for a few weeks or a few months. You may be required to complete an internship (or student placement) as part of your studies.

Read about pay conditions for student placements, work experience and internships.

Benefits

Graduate programs and internships will allow you to:

• work in the field you have studied
• determine if you are suited to a particular field or occupation
• gain valuable experience that will help your future career prospects
• develop confidence
• build professional and personal networks
• develop your skills
• work with experienced staff.

They may also lead to permanent employment.

Finding graduate programs and internships

The first step to finding a graduate program or internship is to talk to your student career counsellor at your university or training organisation.

University graduate career fairs are another great way to find out about graduate employers and upcoming job vacancies.

If you need to complete an internship or student placement as part of your studies you should talk to your student career counsellor or lecturer about the best way to find one. You may need to personally approach relevant organisations and businesses.

The following sites will help you to find a government graduate program:

• Queensland Government Graduate Portal—register your interest in graduate programs across all Queensland Government departments.
• Australian Government graduate programs—links to graduate programs of Australian Government agencies and departments. You can also find links to cadetships, scholarships and work experience opportunities.
• Australian Defence Force—read about the benefits involved with this program.

Search online for other graduate opportunities or internships:

• Search using terms like ‘graduate jobs’ to find lists of available graduate programs and internships.
• Visit the websites of companies and organisations relevant to your studies—many list details of their graduate and internship programs.