'No two days are ever the same': Why apply for Austrade's graduate program

Ella Ryan completed the Austrade graduate program as part of the 2023-24 cohort. Here, she shares her reflections on the experience.

People at Austrade often look at me with surprise when I tell them that working here has been my dream since I was about 12 years old. As a teenager nerdy about all things government, international trade, and Australia’s relationship with the world around it, Austrade was the obvious choice and thus what I set my sights on as I completed high school and university.???

A degree in International Business and Japanese where my lecturers were former Austrade staff and clients, as well as internships with the UN, the Australia New Zealand Japan Chamber of Commerce, a grain farmer representative body, and other government departments, only strengthened my desire to build a career working in trade in the public service and ultimately led me to gaining a position in Austrade’s 2023 graduate cohort.? ? ?

As a part of the graduate program, we completed 3 4-month rotations across different areas of the organisation.

My first rotation was in the Investment Strategy, Insights and Performance team, where I got a crash course in all things Microsoft Excel and gained valuable insights into how we attract productive foreign direct investment into Australia. It was interesting to learn about how Austrade forms its strategies to target investment in specific areas, and I was also able to see some of the incredible projects being invested in across Australia, especially projects that will support Australia in its transition to net zero.????

I was then fortunate enough to spend my second rotation in the International Education team. It was during this rotation that I got to sharpen my client management skills, learn all about the broad range of education providers and their importance to the Australian economy, and witness in real-time how the sector had to adapt in response to the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy. Understanding how Austrade supports service exporters, as well as learning about all the different types of education exports, was genuinely fascinating and challenged my previous understanding of the international education sector.???

I spent my final rotation helping across two different teams. The first involved contributing to a project to help enhance the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) application process for new and early-stage exporters, while the second saw me join the Green Economy trade team where I was able to understand the diverse capabilities of Australian exporters in the green economy space and support Austrade’s presence at the OzWater conference.

It felt great to be able to contribute towards the delivery of a program as long-standing and important as the EMDG, and equally as interesting to be a part of the Green Economy team at a time where Australia’s efforts in this space have never been so important.??

I’ve loved having the opportunity to experience and contribute to so many parts of what Austrade does, and while there were certainly challenges along the way, overall I couldn’t imagine a more interesting start to my career. No two days are ever the same and being able to learn from such passionate people around me, whose experiences span nearly every country and sector, never ceases to amaze me.

I’m also grateful to have gone through this past year with my fellow graduates- having a tight-knit group of people to support each other through our highs and lows, share knowledge and find new lunch spots with has made my time here all the more enjoyable.???

I’m excited to see what the future has in store for both Austrade and my career here - if this is what one year at Austrade has been like, I can’t wait to see what else lies in store.

The skills I have built and the relationships I have made are ones I hope to take forward no matter which team I’m a part of.??

I’m so proud to say I work for Austrade and I’m so glad I’m here- 12-year-old Ella was really onto something!?

Learn more about Austrade's graduate program: https://ow.ly/eqbp50Sv8pz

Published with permission from Ella Ryan.