Maria (Pictured left holidaying in England) Position title: Policy Officer Hometown: Perth WA Current Location: Skills Australia Branch - Canberra Educational Qualifications: Bachelor of Education, Masters of Education Download and listen to Maria’s audio recording. (MP3 3.2MB)

“I feel that I am making a positive difference in others lives”

Hi my name is Maria and I am a policy officer in the Skills Australia Secretariat. I have a bachelor and masters of education and I originally come from Perth.

I decided to work for DEEWR as I wanted to investigate the capacity for creating innovation through policy within a government environment. I’d previously worked as a secondary school english teacher and had worked overseas, nationally, rurally, in urban and remote indigenous communities in early childhood, primary and secondary schools. I’d also worked as a software applications trainer and taught corporate clients in the Sydney CBD. I completed a masters in education and majored in management and Human Resource Development because I wanted to springboard and deepen my existing skills in relation to the workforce.

I entered the DEEWR Graduate program after completing a masters as it offered the opportunity to examine workforce relations and development issue in greater depth.

I stay at DEEWR because I am curious by nature and motivated by helping to improve life for people in the Australian community. I enjoy learning new things and being part of change and innovation.

DEEWR is a constantly changing, evolving environment that supports learning and aims to be innovative. Also there is a wide variety of subjects and projects to engage with. There’s a lot to learn and there are many opportunities to develop your knowledge skills and expertise. I feel that I am making a positive difference in others lives through stakeholder engagement, the provision of thorough contemporary research and clear and practical policy implementation advice.

A typical day in the life of a policy officer in the Skills Australia Secretariat is fast and demanding. This is good because I like challenges and I like being busy and I like delivering required outcomes. Also I am big on communication and I try and start my day by checking in with my director on any latest developments, priorities and team outcomes. During the day I supervise a graduate and check with their progress and answer any questions that they have when needed. I generally attend at least one meeting or teleconference with internal or external stake holders. I read latest policy documents and relevant research and I summarise the content and provide policy and project management support.