More grads choosing to go public

The public service is getting smarter as more employees arrive with tertiary qualifications, writes Verona Burgess.

Australia's public service is rapidly becoming a graduate workforce and not just because of the prized traineeships that tend to go to younger graduates.

Just over half (52 per cent) of all 146,000 federal public servants now have tertiary qualifications, and of last year's 15,000 recruits, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) are graduates.

Public service commissioner Lynelle Briggs says this is a huge increase in credentials, considering that 20 years ago only 27 per cent of the public service workforce had tertiary qualifications.

She says the average new entrant is a woman aged 32 with graduate qualifications.

"The reason it's important is that many graduates are not in traineeship," she says. "They are recruited laterally and have already had significant careers in the private sector, the states or community sectors. So they are a very experienced bunch of people with quite obvious life skills.

"People think the public service is just in Canberra but two-thirds are outside Canberra and even those who are in Canberra come from all over, with experience of working in other sectors. So it's not a closed shop."

Data collected and analysed by the Australian Public Service Commission shows the trend towards a more skilled workforce has also led to the bottom two ranks of the public service - the APS1 and APS2 classifications - largely falling away. APS3 and APS4 are now the most common entry points.

In the modern public service, department heads are in charge of their own recruitment, and run their own graduate traineeships, which are highly sought after by thousands of applicants.

The successful trainees, who are academically qualified in a range of disciplines, some with higher degrees, enter at the APS4 level.

Their starting salaries are around $45,000 a year plus 15 per cent in employer contribution superannuation and very flexible terms and conditions depending on the employing department's certified agreement. The graduate will also have access to training and personal development.

At the end of the trainee period, which involves work rotations through various parts of their employing departments, they are fast-tracked to APS5 level. In many cases, they also have the opportunity to upgrade their professional qualifications in popular fields such as accountancy.

Briggs says the public service has always been a strong recruiter of graduates.

"We absolutely value freshness, new ideas and youth and all the things that brings in terms of different and new approaches to doing things and different ways of thinking," she says.

She adds that younger people coming in have improved the service culture because many have worked in the service industry before they join, so they understand a lot more about how to deal with people in a professional way.

"They are a smart bunch of people," Briggs says. "The quality of graduates is exceptionally high - there are double degrees everywhere. They are energetic, self-initiating and more than happy to get in and make things work better rather than follow staid procedures, and that shakes us up."

Agencies and departments compete among themselves to recruit the best graduate trainees, who may have applied to several government departments in response to recruitment drives, that include presentations at field days, university open days, career forums, advertising, government websites and recruitment agencies.

Briggs says the reasons graduates give for joining the Australian public service are similar to those expressed by senior executives.

Comments from graduates documented by the Australian Public Service Commission in its annual staff surveys across the public service include statements such as: "idealism attracted me"; "I liked the idea of making a contribution to society", and "I wanted to undertake policy work".

Reasons for staying include: "the career input from my managers is very useful" and "it's the conditions that make you want to stay, particularly if you've got kids".

Generation Y in particular wants structured learning and development, and opportunities to increase their professional qualifications.

The public service has little difficulty attracting quality graduate trainees but the national skills shortage is biting in other areas.

The past three years have experienced increasing evidence of skills shortages - 88 per cent of agencies reported difficulties in recruiting people with the required skills last year, up from 62 per cent in 2003-04.

It was initially exacerbated by the loss of a "bulge" of baby boomers aged 54 years and 11 months because of a glitch in the Commonwealth superannuation scheme, but many of them are now returning on contracts or as consultants on contract.

"There are not as many baby boomers leaving now as I expected," Briggs says. "The change to superannuation and AWAs and more contracts have seen many people stay beyond 55."

KEY POINTS
* Twenty years ago, only 27 per cent of the public service workforce had tertiary qualifications.
* The more skilled workforce has led to the bottom two ranks - APS1 and APS2 classifications - falling away.
* The starting salaries of trainees are around $45,000 a year plus 15 per cent in super contributions.

Published: 29 June 2007