The Department of Education and Training has announced that its Work Exposure in Government (WEX) program will now offer a virtual experience for Indigenous students to learn about opportunities in the public sector.
The WEX program is an opportunity for high performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to learn about careers in the Australian Public Service.
The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt said WEX’s mentoring and workshops would be delivered online with skills development projects replacing in-person visits.
“WEX is a great initiative that teaches young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about Government and how they can get involved in the Public Service,” Mr Wyatt said.
“We want more Indigenous experience represented within Government organisations and WEX has helped a lot of people identify this as a pathway.”
He said a key focus of WEX was learning about careers in the Government and students getting the chance to see if a policy or operational job was the right fit for them.
“Students will be paired with mentors to discuss career options and also get the chance to develop a cooperative network so participants can keep in touch and support each other as they enter the workforce,” Mr Wyatt said.
“Given the virtual method, we are also inviting back previous WEX participants to further strengthen their networks and stay engaged with their mentors.”
Registration remains open for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to take part in the program, which runs until November.
