About the program

The NSW Government Graduate Program goes for 18 months, starting in February each year. During that time, you’ll complete placements in different roles across NSW Government. 

Our graduate program offers a primary stream, which is open to all disciplines, and three degree-specific streams; a legal stream, digital stream, and a social work stream.  

You can apply for up to two streams, including the primary stream plus one degree-specific stream. Each stream offers on-the-job experience and a tailored learning and development component. 

To be eligible for the 2022 NSW Government Graduate Program, you must:  

• have completed your undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the last two years (i.e. any time from 1 June 2019) or be completing your degree by 31 December 2021  
• be an Australian Citizen, permanent resident of Australia, New Zealand citizen with a current New Zealand passport, or hold a visa that allows you to work full-time in Australia until at least 31 August 2023  
• be available to start work on Monday 7 February 2022. 

In addition, to be eligible for the legal, digital, or social work streams you must also meet some stream-specific requirements as detailed in the sections below. Please note, your qualifications and working rights will be verified prior to assessment centres.

Are you interested in gaining broad experience across a range of roles in NSW Government? 

Graduates in the primary stream can work in a range of areas, from analytics or human resources, to policy and projects, and more. When applying to the primary stream, you can nominate functional areas of interest to try roles in. 

In the primary stream, you’ll study a Diploma of Government, which will help to ease your transition from university to work life and provide foundational government knowledge. 

The primary stream has approximately 110 roles on offer in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan, Central West, Hunter, New England and North Coast regions. The primary stream is open to all university degrees.

Are you interested in working on legislative instruments, learning about criminal prosecution, or conducting reviews of Policies and Acts? 

If you want to work as a lawyer in NSW Government, the legal stream offers you experience such as litigation, providing legal advice and developing policy.  

In the legal stream, you will study towards a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, so you can be admitted as a solicitor in NSW.  

The legal stream has approximately 20 roles on offer, all based in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region.

Are you interested in harnessing emerging technology such as virtual reality, blockchain and sensors to develop innovative and citizen-centric digital solutions? 

In the digital stream, you'll play a part in defining how the people of NSW interact with digital government services. From identifying cyber security risks, to designing and delivering products and services, you will work across critical areas such as health, housing, customer service and transport. 

You will also become a member of Australian Computer Society’s Partnership Program which includes targeted online courses that are tailored to your career aspirations. You will also attend workshops with your cohort so that you have a foundational knowledge of government and how government works.

The digital stream has approximately 30 roles on offer in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan, Central West, Hunter, New England and North Coast regions.

Are you interested in working with children, young people and their families and carers to bring about support, protection, and safety? 

In the social work stream, you’ll play a part in transforming the lives of vulnerable children. You’ll apply your knowledge and skills to improve the lives of children, adults, families, and communities who often experience disadvantage and live in varied and challenging circumstances. The social work stream provides a pathway to becoming a case worker. 

In the social work stream you will learn about how child protection works across systems, policies and practice. You will also complete tailored case worker development training and attend workshops with your cohort so that you have a foundational knowledge of government and how government works. You will undertake group supervision so you can make the best possible decisions about children and their families.

The social work stream has six roles on offer in the Department of Communities and Justice, all based in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region.

Graduate roles are available all over NSW. When you are placed in a region, your placements will all be based within that same region. You can choose from the following regions:  

• Greater Sydney metropolitan, including Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Kingswood and Liverpool, Parramatta and Sydney CBD
• Hunter, including Newcastle, Gosford and Maitland 
• Central Tablelands, including Bathurst, Dubbo, Lithgow and Orange 
• New England, including Tamworth and Armidale 
• North Coast, including Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Grafton

You’ll also work in different roles across NSW Government. Your first placement will be your ‘home’ agency, where you will return for your ongoing (permanent) role once you successfully complete the program.