Skip to main content

Aboriginal Graduate Program

Start your career with our 2026 Aboriginal Graduate Program. Applications are now open. Find out how to apply.

You can apply if you have recently completed, or are about to complete, a university degree.

Gain valuable experience in your chosen field while working alongside supportive, future-focused professionals.

What we offer

  • A dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment team for support.
  • Opportunities to build connection and gain exposure to leadership by attending our:
    • annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff summit
    • monthly employee meetings.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career development programs.
  • Cultural safety and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation at all stages of recruitment and employment.
  • Access to cultural leave.

About the graduate program

Who we’re looking for

We want to hear from bright and innovative team players who:

  • are completing their bachelor's degree (or higher) in 2025
  • graduated with a bachelor's degree (or higher) within the last three years.

We are currently looking for graduates to fill corporate and engineering positions.

The disciplines of available graduate roles vary each year. Past graduate roles have been offered in:

  • Business administration or management
  • Communications, media, journalism or marketing
  • Construction management
  • Contract management
  • Engineering – civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, systems or traffic
  • Environment studies and cultural heritage management
  • Finance, economics, accounting or commerce
  • Graphic design, film and production
  • Humanities, social science, Aboriginal studies and arts
  • Human resource management, psychology or criminology
  • Information technology – cloud computing, computer science, computer programming, cybersecurity, data analytics, geospatial, network operations, software development or software engineering
  • Law
  • Legal studies and criminology – business, administrative, employment, labour or legal
  • Logistics and supply chain management
  • Network operations and planning
  • Project management
  • Property
  • Public policy or political science
  • Safety management
  • Transport modelling or transportation engineering survey
  • Work, health and safety.

If your discipline is not listed, email DIT.Graduates@sa.gov.au or DIT.AboriginalEmployment@sa.gov.au to see if you are eligible.

Skills and traits you'll need

  • Excited by the opportunity to create a better future for South Australians
  • A team player ready to embrace our values and commitment to safety
  • Great at organising, planning, prioritising and meeting deadlines
  • An analytical problem-solver
  • Great research skills
  • Driven, accountable and keen to use your initiative
  • Empathetic and culturally aware
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
  • Familiar with the Microsoft Office suite
Eligibility

To be considered for a graduate officer role, you'll need to meet the following criteria.

Education and experience

  • You have completed a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in the specified or equivalent discipline within the last three years, or will have your qualification before the employment start date.
  • You have not previously completed a graduate program in, or hosted by, the South Australian public sector.

Legal and administrative requirements

  • You are an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or have an appropriate visa that allows you to work in Australia.
  • You agree to a national police check and clearance to meet required entry standards.
  • You meet all employment conditions. This includes the ability to make your own way to and from your workplace, training sites and other sites as required.
  • You have completed the application process in full.
Program benefits

Professional development

  • You can access professional mentoring programs aligned to your career goals.
  • You can attend the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff summit and take part in development programs.
  • We support our law graduates to undertake their Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
  • We offer paid study leave for graduates interested in undertaking further study.

Community and networking

Career opportunities and compensation

  • We have 11 unique business areas. This increases the breadth of rotation placement opportunities.
  • We can employ international graduates on eligible visas.
  • Get annual salary increases within your pay level, subject to satisfactory performance.

Find more reasons why you should work with us.

Program details

Engineering graduate officers Corporate graduate officers
Employed as Professional Officer Level 1 (PO1) with 3 annual job rotations expected Administrative Service Officer Level 3 (ASO3)
Salary range $68,478 to $83,594 per annum, plus superannuation (currently 11.5%) $67,589 to $72,033 per annum, plus superannuation (currently 11.5%)
Contract and role duration Temporary up to 3 years Temporary up to 2 years

Working hours

Full-time employees are expected to work 37.5 hours a week, or 7.5 hours a day.

We offer a range of flexible working arrangements. You will be able to discuss the options that best suit you at the interview and/or employment offer stage.

Location

Graduate officer roles are offered in the Adelaide CBD and metropolitan area.

Sometimes, the graduate roles are in regional locations. If a regional location is required of the role you’re being considered for, we will discuss this with you at interview and/or employment offer stage.

Expected start date

This depends on when your application is received and shortlisted. A start date will be negotiated following an in-person interview.

Recruitment pool

If you apply for our graduate program, we will also consider your application for our recruitment pool. We will assess applications through selection processes throughout the year.

This allows us to employ candidates in a timely manner after going through merit-based selection processes.

We will let applicants know:

  • if they have been recommended for the recruitment pool
  • that they may be offered temporary or ongoing employment as vacancies arise within 12 months.

Principles of the recruitment pool

  • The pool will operate on a continuous basis for up to 12 months.
  • The pool will usually remain available for applications until October each year. However, peak recruitment times are in March and August.
  • Where we have advised an applicant that they have been accepted into the pool, the recommendation is valid for 12 months.
  • Recommended candidates in the pool may be offered temporary or ongoing employment. These roles may be full-time or part-time.
  • Recommended candidates can accept a short-term contract with us. Once the contract ends, they will return to the pool if the contract ended within 12 months since their recommendation.
  • If a recommended candidate accepts an offer of employment, we will not make any further offers unless they return to the pool.
  • Recommended candidates who are not offered employment within 12 months will need to re-apply for the following year’s recruitment pool.
  • There is no guarantee that an offer of employment will be made to recommended candidates within 12 months.
  • Offers may, on occasion, be in regional locations.
  • Notification of acceptance into the pool does not constitute an offer of employment.
  • Recommended candidates remain non-public sector employees until we offer and they accept employment.
  • Recommended candidates must meet all DIT pre-employment requirements before we can offer them employment.

How to apply

Applications for the 2026 program are now open until 31 August 2025.

Apply now at I Work for SA

We may also advertise graduate roles throughout the year on I Work For SA. For enquiries, contact our Graduate Coordinator at DIT.Graduates@sa.gov.au.

Recruitment process

StepDescription Indicative timings
1 Applications open Monday, 3 March 2025
2 Applications close 11pm on Monday, 31 August 2025
3 Applications reviewed for eligibility April to August 2025
4 Candidate shortlisting April to August 2025
5 In-person interviews with a panel for shortlisted applicants April to August 2025
6 Successful applicants offered a role September 2025

More information

Subscribe to our entry level employment mailing list to receive updates, such as:

  • our entry level employment opportunities
  • application opening dates.

For more information, contact DIT.AboriginalEmployment@sa.gov.au.