Background
To enhance organisational capability and agility, Treasury rebooted its graduate attraction and recruitment strategy to proactively navigate succession risks as well as transfer and sustain vital knowledge that supports and develops Treasury’s ‘big picture’ thinking.
The 2019 Graduate Program recruitment campaign welcomed four graduates from over 150 applications, a strong result after a three year pause in the graduate market. These graduates have begun to rotate through various Treasury business units, building skills and networks as well as partaking in the Public Sector Commission Graduate Development Program, collaborating with graduates from across the sector.
To continue attracting the best and brightest student and graduate talent, Treasury developed a strategy to elevate its employer brand and build mutually beneficial relationships with Western Australian Universities as well as interstate institutions such as Australian National University (ANU) and Deakin University.
Approach
To increase the profile of the Treasury employer brand, relationships with relevant Schools and Faculties at Western Australian Universities as well as career centres, locally and interstate, were developed. On-campus engagement through career fairs and speaking opportunities such as Public Sector Panel events were of great benefit, with Treasury representatives reaching over 450 students, providing insights into the dynamic opportunities at Treasury and a career in the public sector.
To continue the ‘conversation’ after campus engagement activities, the Treasury Talent Community was established. The Community allows students to register for Treasury updates and find out about employment opportunities such as the Treasury Graduate Program and Vacation Programs. Currently over 360 students are registered on the Community with continuous growth due to online promotion by Universities.
In addition to the Treasury Talent Community, Treasury created and distributed tailored communication plans to all Universities, which resulted in coverage promoting Treasury on student Facebook sites and direct email campaigns.
Today, students seek authentic career prospects and to meet this need, Treasury established a Treasury Alumni Registry where current Treasury employees self-nominate to represent Treasury at their former University. Having this form of authentic representation provides a connection between Treasury and students currently completing a qualification at that institution. Universities are constantly seeking employer representatives to speak with cohorts and the Registry supports their need whilst offering Treasury the opportunity to promote its employer brand.
Underpinning these engagement initiatives was the development of an eye-catching campaign for the 2020 Graduate Program recruitment - ‘Tell Your Friends Where to Go’ which was launched in March 2019. The campaign was fun and inviting with a playful call to action that was well received by students, graduates, Universities and within Treasury.
In addition to the graduate programs, Treasury will launch Summer and Winter Vacation Programs ranging from 4-8 weeks. The Vacation programs will allow current University students to have an introductory experience to Treasury which will assist in building suitable candidates for future graduate programs. In addition to Vacation opportunities for students, Treasury will welcome students seeking placements for academic credit as a direct result from the relationships between Universities and Treasury.
To attract this great talent is one thing but to retain it is a central focus as well. Treasury has this forward outlook front of mind with the launch of a Young Professional Program for employees aged 30 and under. This program will provide engagement opportunities with Executive management, knowledge transfer and sharing as well as social and community-based activities.
Treasury is aware that the talent pool doesn’t just sit at University level, with opportunities to engage with high school students also occurring simultaneously to the University commitments. To date, Treasury has engaged with Shenton College and Albany College as well as the annual High School Economics Conference held by Curtin University.
Outcome
Treasury’s commitment to building the next generation of talent has been stepped up in the past year, with more engaging initiatives to come. To attract more students and graduates to Treasury, an attractive program package has been designed that will launch in 2020 to further recruit, develop and retain Treasury’s next generation.
