Disability pathway
The Future Leaders Graduate Program is committed to supporting people with disability to develop and thrive as program participants, enabling you to pursue your career aspirations.
Bring your strengths and unique experience and become part of the future of the Queensland Government. Get involved with supporting and delivering policies, services and programs to contribute to full, safe, inclusive social and economic participation for all Queenslanders.
Our recruitment process is designed to give every candidate the best opportunity to showcase their strengths, skills and potential.
We’ll partner with you every step of the way—from your application through to employment—and work with you to put in place adjustments that are tailored to what works for you.
Requesting adjustments will not affect your application or selection. Instead, it allows us the opportunity to connect with you to ensure we provide what you need to succeed.
Explore the candidate journey below to learn more about what our recruitment and selection process involves. We’ve also included information about the types of adjustments we’ve provided in the past. These are just examples—we’ll work with you to identify the adjustments that best support how you work.
You can get in touch at any time to discuss your needs via futureleadersgraduaterecruitment@premiers.qld.gov.au.
Our inclusive approach:
- Diversity and fairness are at the heart of our assessments—we focus on your strengths and potential.
- We partner with industry experts—our assessments and systems are designed to be inclusive and accessible for everyone.
- Accessible online assessments—all online assessments include features such as zoom functionality, neurodiversity-friendly formatting, WCAG2.1 compliant design and closed captions on all audio content.
- Inclusive recruitment training—all assessors are trained in inclusive recruitment practices to ensure fairness and accessibility across our process.
- Clear guidance at every stage—before each stage of the candidate journey, we’ll provide a video explaining the assessment in detail so you know exactly what to expect. We’ll then ask you whether you require any adjustments to support you in completing it.
The candidate journey
Start your journey by submitting an online application. This includes:
- answering a few quick questions to confirm your eligibility for the program
- providing basic contact and demographic information, including details about your studies
- uploading your resume (no cover letter required!)
- uploading your most recent academic transcript (if your qualification/s is from overseas, please include your overseas qualification recognition)
- uploading your Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) check to confirm your right to work in Australia (if applicable).
How to prepare
- Learn how to write a resume.
- Download the Be Work Smart pre-employment skills workbook for extra tips.
- Check your eligibility.
Inclusion supports and additional information
- Our application form allows you to save your progress and return at any time to continue. Applications remain open for approximately 4 weeks, giving you the flexibility to complete your application at a time and pace that suits you.
- Adjustment example/s include: an offline application submission conducted via phone or MS Teams.
If your application meets our eligibility criteria, you'll be invited to complete an untimed online assessment. This assessment includes a mix of cognitive and behavioural questions designed to help us better understand how you work, assess your strengths and determine your overall alignment to the role.
How to prepare
- Visit the candidate preparation hub to learn more about the online assessment, including preparation tips and practice questions.
- Ensure technology is working properly and you have a reliable internet connection.
- Find a quiet space where you can focus with no distractions.
- Carefully read and follow the instructions provided in your invitation email.
Inclusion supports and additional information
- By default, our online assessment is untimed. You can save your progress and return to the assessment at any time during the assessment period (approximately 10 days), giving you the flexibility to complete the task at a time and pace that suits you.
- Adjustment example/s include: a strengths-based interview conducted via MS Teams as an alternate to the behavioural assessment, an offline version of the cognitive assessment.
Following the online assessment, you’ll be invited to participate in an immersive job simulation. During this stage, you’ll respond to a series of video and written response questions. The job simulation is designed to provide you insights into scenarios you might face as a Future Leaders graduate, and assess your problem-solving, communication and decision-making skills.
How to prepare:
- Visit the candidate preparation hub to learn more about the job simulation, including tips on preparing for your video responses.
- Ensure technology is working properly and you have a reliable internet connection.
- Find a quiet space where you can focus with no distractions.
- Carefully read and follow the instructions provided in your invitation email.
Inclusion supports and additional information
- This assessment includes both timed and untimed components, broken up into modules.
- Each module can be completed separately, with the ability to save your progress and return to the assessment at any time during the assessment period (approximately 10 days), giving you the flexibility to complete the task at a time and pace that suits you.
- All candidates will also be given preparation time for the video components of the assessment.
- Adjustment example/s include: additional time to complete the timed components of the assessment, additional preparation time for the video components, an offline version of the assessment, an alternate assessment.
The final phase of our recruitment process is the assessment centre, where you’ll be invited to attend either in person or virtually, depending on your circumstances and location. The assessment centre is an opportunity for us to meet you and learn more about your skills and potential. Throughout the assessment centre you’ll participate in:
- a group activity where you’ll work collaboratively with other candidates to complete a task
- an individual interview where you’ll have the opportunity to share your experiences, skills and insights with our assessors.
How to prepare:
- Reflect on the skills and knowledge you’ve gained through your life, studies, and any paid/unpaid work that you could use as examples when answering interview questions.
- Familiarise yourself with behavioural interview questions and the STAR response framework to help structure your answers.
- Review the Leadership Competencies for Queensland (PDF, 254 KB) to understand the key skills and behaviours we’re looking for.
- Most importantly, just be yourself!
Inclusion supports and additional information
- We acknowledge that assessment centres can feel daunting—that’s why our assessment centres are designed to be fun, engaging and relaxed so you feel comfortable and confident to shine.
- Mental Health First Aid Officers are available to all candidates throughout the day to provide support.
- All candidates are provided with the interview questions either on screen or in printed form depending on your needs and whether you attend in person or virtually.
- Adjustments example/s include: AUSLAN interpreter, early access to the venue to familiarise yourself with the space, a quiet room available for use throughout the day including the interview, additional time to complete the interview, perusal time.
Following the assessment centre, we will contact your nominated referee(s) to conduct a reference check.
If you’re successful, you can expect to receive an offer in mid-June. This offer will be subject to the completion of pre-employment checks, including criminal history and commencement paperwork.
The 2027 program will officially commence on Monday 15 February 2027.
Key dates:
- applications open 10 March 2026
- applications close 8 April 2026
- assessment centres 25 May to 5 June 2026
- offers made mid-June 2026
- program commences 15 February 2027
Support during employment
Before you start, we’ll talk with you about what adjustments will help you thrive in your role.
Workplace adjustments are a standard part of our inclusive practices and can include:
- flexible work arrangements, such as working from home, flexible start and finish times, or adjusted hours to suit your needs
- speech-to-text software to assist with communication and productivity
- additional or tailored support, such as extra training, mentoring, or supervision to help you succeed in your role
- screen-reader or magnification software to support visual accessibility
- longer break times to help you manage your energy and wellbeing throughout the day
- specialised equipment, such as ergonomic chairs, sit to stand desks, or adaptive computer mice to ensure your comfort and productivity.
Helen Reeves
Learn about Helen's experience on our program.
[Helen Reeves, 2022 Graduate]
My name is Helen. I am from Victoria. I've lived in Brisbane for 17 years. I studied accounting, business and information technology.
I believe the program supports all types of candidates. Myself, I'm neurodivergent and I've found that I've been fully supported all the way through program from the application process all the way through to the assessment centre and then upon gaining employment with the program I have found that my supervisors have been wonderful, they've accepted my differences, ensured that I have the accommodations I need to bring my best self to work.
I chose Policy Futures because I always felt like I was able to make a change with the ideas that I have. I have a very unique brain with some out of the box thinking and I found that policy would be the great opportunity to put that to work.
For anyone who is applying for the program, I would highly recommend it. It's a great program fully supported by all the team at Policy Futures. If you've got any questions, they're more than happy to answer them for you and give you any information to get you through the process.
The opportunities this program has given me have boosted my confidence enough to be able to move forward and hopefully, in the future, be able to work in areas that give opportunities for everybody.