Meet our graduates

Hi, I'm Majurran. I'm a Data Scientist graduate working at Transport and Main Roads. I used to be a web developer for an engineering company. It wasn't really what I wanted to do, I was more interested in data science. I heard about the TMR graduate program on Grad Connect. It's a good website which offers a variety of opportunities for young graduates and juniors.

So, my role at TMR is as a Data Scientist. The best thing about it is talking to other people and determining what they want out of the data and what desired results they want and then ensuring that it's in a clean and organised structure. So, the main development opportunity I received was to try and learn some animation skills. Even though it wasn't really in my skill area, I was able to better improve my communication skills with different techniques such as animation and recorded videos.

So, one of the main perks is the use of flex hours, some weeks you'll have more work than others so it's good to work those extra hours in busier weeks and then take time off when it is less busy.

The most rewarding part of the role is dealing with the complex data that TMR has and then simplifying it down so that it meets the requirements of the users and it can be used for whatever purposes they have. Absolutely I would recommend the TMR Grad Program. No matter what your role is, the connections you build throughout can be invaluable for the rest of your career.

My name is Lucy, and I work for Financial Services and Strategic Sourcing.

My work at the department is very varied.

I'm in the corporate finance area. There are five teams in that area, and I assist all of them with different things.

One of the specific projects that I've been working on at the moment is a bespoke app to provide hot desking and shared desking.

There are so many benefits to working in government, there's so much flexibility with your time. You also get paid a lot better than my friends that have gone into the private sector.

People are interested in you and want to talk to you and want to support you and want your career to kind of progress. That's been really refreshing, and I think it is actually really special.

For me, being a policy officer is all about bringing your skills and your background to find the best solutions to societal issues. I think policy is not only about taking ideas and turning them into reality, but also solving the real challenges that people are facing. I see working in policy as a way for me to make a difference in the lives of Queenslanders. Public policy itself is diverse. It's everything from national parks to educational standards to even seat belt requirements. All of that is public policy and it's the government making decisions for the public good.

Having the opportunity to work across three different departments and to really get an idea of different line agencies or central agencies and how you can contribute, I think that's definitely what set it apart for me. So I chose the Policy Futures graduate program because I'd been interested in policy for a long time through my studies and with the rotations across the different government departments, it was a unique opportunity to get a broad experience rather than just being in one department.

I was really surprised as to the breadth and scope of what policy is and it's been really enjoyable to be a part of. I'd really like to stay in government at the conclusion of the program and I know that being a part of the program gives you a really good step up when it comes to advancing your career options in the policy space with the Queensland Government. My favourite part of the Policy Futures graduate program has been the network of other graduates that I've been able to become friends with. I have made connections both professionally and personally that I'll keep for many years and it has been fantastic to be alongside a cohort of inspiring, intelligent and supportive peers. For me, my favourite part of the Policy Futures program has been the opportunity to work alongside colleagues from various backgrounds but all of whom wake up in the morning with the goal of affecting positive and purposeful change in the community.

Starting with a really intensive week that gets you ready and excited to get at your desk, the program is followed up by one-off days that really get you thinking about deep policy issues, the skills you can develop and the benefits that you can bring to the Queensland community. The one piece of advice that I would have for someone who's interested in the program is to keep an open mind, policy can just really spread across so many facets of things you wouldn't even consider, so I think really keeping an open mind and having an attitude of giving everything a go is essential. As a policy professional, I think being able to actually contribute back to society and have and make and produce meaningful work is definitely something that inspires me to continue as well.

My name is James Pullin I'm a proud Darug man with connection to Coonabarabran  in western New South Wales on my father's side and Sri Lankan heritage on my mother's side. I studied at Queensland University of Technology, and I did a Bachelor of Law (Honors) and a Bachelor of Justice, majoring in Criminology and Policing.

My name is Joe Marsh I'm a proud Githabul man, within the Bundjalung Nation. I studied a Bachelor of Social Work and have Honors in that in that area as well.

My name is Jessica Kiss, I'm a Gooreng Gooreng woman. I grew up in Bundaberg. I moved to Brisbane for University. I did a Bachelor of Arts at University of Queensland and I majored in Geography and International Relations.

I didn't know that I specifically wanted to be involved in public policy when I graduated. I knew that I wanted to do meaningful work probably within the public sector and it wasn't until I saw the Policy Futures program that I realised that the public policy space was something that really appealed to me. So far during the program I've worked on passing legislation, developing the critical minerals strategy, the development of a consultation paper and so many more different policy tools. I'm now on my third rotation with the Policy Futures Program. I've experienced so much, and I have full confidence that I'll be able to navigate the public sector afterwards.

I chose Policy Futures because I want to help make a change for our people um the First Nation's people. The other reason why I've chosen it is because I've studied Social Work, other areas I've worked in, sports areas, but I found that we can make a big difference in policy area and be able to make a change back in the community so that is one of the reasons why I wanted to look into policy area.

See, I always wanted to merge the worlds of governance and policy with criminology and justice, but I wasn't quite sure how to do that. Through the Policy Futures program, I'm given the opportunity to rotate to different departments where I could make that dream become reality. You don't need a policy background to thrive in this space. I think that policy concerns every facet of life so it doesn't matter what social or tertiary background you have, there are transferable skills that you've learned that the public service will definitely value.

The recruitment process was really good. I had very good mentors. I had a good support person, able to speak to people, especially the mentor, whenever I needed to and also talk to the Policy Futures team were very helpful so if I needed help they were there to give me that advice.

My advice for anyone looking to apply for the program would be to just go for it, don't doubt yourself, embrace your insecurities. If you're young or inexperienced, from a different cultural background, these are all things that will make you a great public servant.

My main goal with the recruitment process was for the Policy Futures team to understand who I am, where I come from and ultimately what I stand for but by the end of the recruitment process I realised that I learned things about myself and I think that's a testament to the amazing structure that the Policy Futures program offers.