Blair is a former graduate in our digital stream and is now working at NSW Health. We interviewed Blair when he commenced the Graduate Program.
What did you study and where?
I studied a Bachelor of Information Technology - majoring in Business & Digital Media at the University of Newcastle.
What made you want to apply for the NSW Government Graduate Program?
Firstly, I wanted to give myself a challenge, seeing as I was finishing up my studies at Uni, I was thinking about my next move and what that meant for me. Seeing as I studied an IT degree and NSW Government was and still is at the forefront of a digital transformation, I knew this was the perfect opportunity.
Overall the structure of the program really appealed to me, the fact that you have three rotations throughout your time in the program really allows you to get a taste for different areas and lets you discover the work you will come to love and don’t love. Having an assigned Mentor was also a big draw card, knowing that you have the support of your Mentor to run ideas past and help carve out your career in NSW Government is very valuable.
What were three things you learned in the Graduate Program?
Being adaptable to change
During the 18 months, I experienced a lot of change, different types of work, meeting new managers and new teams, learning to navigate new environments. By rotating every 6 months you’ll become adaptable and this skill can take you a long way in your career.
Always say yes
I've learned to always say yes, I’ve taken on every opportunity that came my way as these have often lead to other opportunities and if I can say just one thing that would you only get out of life what you put in. So always say yes and figure the rest out later.
Communication is key
Communication is a skill I’ve really built on in my time throughout the program, from mentoring sessions to cohort networking events, leading workshops and even undertaking the diploma of Government, learning to communicate clear and effectively has been one skill that has matured a lot since the beginning and one that will continue to evolve.
Can you tell us about the work you have been involved in?
The work I’ve been involved in has varied quite a lot which has been good. My first assignment in the program had me working with eHealth NSW – this digital agency helps support the public hospital system with all things digital, my specific work had me working as a Business Analyst to help roll out the state’s public health medical record system. This system is what clinicians use to stores all of your important health information when you visit hospital.
Revenue NSW was my next stop – I worked here with the strategy and innovation team, here I assisted in working on a proof of concept to rollout the use of a digital mailbox solution for the people of NSW, this would help reduce the need for paper correspondence and ultimately improve customer interactions with the Agency. I also worked on costing projects and creating plans along with writing test cases and user acceptance criteria for a number of other projects.
Planning and Environment - Security and Compliance – This role was one I would have never saw myself doing and I actually learned a lot! Here I worked as a security and compliance officer it was my role to help increase security awareness and ensure compliance with security policies across the agency which staffed over 7000+ employees. I worked on successfully creating and launching an agency wide Security Awareness Campaign, managed website contracts and helped triage staff calls into service management systems.
At the conclusion of the graduate program I was fortunate enough to return back to eHealth NSW and work on a National project called the National Children’s Digital Health Collaborative working as an Information Integration Analyst. This project is working towards creating a National longitudinal record from birth through to 14yrs and also the creation of a Digital Pregnancy Record for expecting mothers. My time on the project has seen me responsible for all of the data and information around the records and how these will integrate with other key systems and national infrastructure.
What advice would you give a student thinking about applying for the Graduate Program?
Take every opportunity you can and even if you doubt your abilities, or you’re unsure whether or not it’s going to be the right fit, just run with it, seek support when you need and I promise you, you’ll learn a whole lot of new skills. The opportunities are endless in NSW Government.