APS Academy Townsville - Amanda
Name: Amanda
Employing agency: IP Australia
Australian Government Entry Level Program: Digital Cadetship
APS Academy Campus: Townsville, located at James Cook University
Course: Bachelor of Digital Media, Bachelor of IT, Central Queensland University Online
Amanda is studying both a Bachelor of Digital Media and a Bachelor of IT, online through Central Queensland University.
Amanda is completing a Digital Cadetship with IP Australia along with two other digital cadets, and one data cadet, based at the Townsville APS Academy Campus.
Raising her family in Townsville, Amanda saw the Australian Government Digital Cadetship as an opportunity to consolidate her learning in a work setting without having to relocate.
Interesting and meaningful work in the APS
“I’m in the Innovation and Technology Group of IP Australia. IP Australia process patent applications. The Innovation and Technology group is the area that supports all of the digital processes and systems that are used. I’m in the Innovation and Digital Services Team within that group.
We’re all doing our placements at different times and do them for four weeks at a time in different areas. We’ll be exposed to a lot so we can then make decisions on where we think we’d like to be potentially based after the Cadetship.”
“I’m only about twelve weeks in but have already learned so much. We have done a deep dive into automated decision making governance and learned how to design future state process maps. I’ve also spent time with the Security Governance Team. They tasked me with looking at their security awareness program as that’s something I really enjoy – cyber security. I wrote a report and identified some improvements for them. That was cool.”
Flexible work and study while building APS connections
“Monday I have my lectures and Tuesdays I try and get as much uni work done as possible. I split my work hours over the rest of the week at the Campus. There’s a lovely modern office area at the Campus, all the facilities you need like meeting rooms and a kitchen. Our Campus Supervisor is our cheer leader. She’s so supportive and it’s really good to have someone on hand to help you.”
“It has been good meeting the others because some of the others are data cadets so they are studying quite different things to us. It’s been good to chat to them as they’re doing things that haven’t even been on my radar. I’ve picked up things that I wouldn’t have if I was in a workplace with only my agency. The relationships that we’re forming will be really important in a future career in the APS.
The main thing I’ve learned is understanding the inner workings of the APS and how agencies work together. That’s been eye opening for me. I’m interested in emerging technologies. It’s sparked ideas on how things could be improved over the years. It’s really now cemented in me that I find it meaningful to do work in the public service.”
A bright future ahead
“I’ve set myself a goal to really understand all the inner systems of IP Australia, to understand everything well because at the end of the Cadetship, I won’t hesitate to apply for other jobs within the agency.
I’m hoping I will have the opportunity to always learn and be challenged and take on more responsibilities. This is a perfect stepping stone.”