How to apply

There are 4 stages to apply for the 2025 Australian Government Indigenous Apprenticeships Program. We explain each stage.

Stage 1. Apply online

To apply online, you’ll need to do all of the following:

• confirm your eligibility
• upload your resume
• supply the names of 2 referees, who we’ll ask to complete a report
• provide a 300-word written response to the application question.

To confirm your eligibility, we’ll ask you to confirm your Indigenous heritage by submitting some documents.

Your confirmation of heritage must specify that you are all of the following:

• of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
• identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
• are accepted as such by the community in which you live or formerly lived.

Once you submit your application, you’ll move to stage 2.

If you can’t submit an online application, please contact us to discuss how to apply.

Stage 2. Complete an online assessment

The online assessment includes questions about you and how you work. There’s no time limit, but it usually takes around 25 to 35 minutes to complete.

We’ll send you instructions on what you need to do when we email you the link for your online assessment.

If you are unable to complete this task online, please contact us to arrange another option.

Stage 3. Participate in a virtual panel interview

If you’re successful in stage 2, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a yarning session before coming to your virtual interview.

Yarning sessions are for you to ask questions about the program. These sessions are informal and provide a culturally safe place for open and honest communication.

During your virtual panel interview, we will ask you questions about yourself and your skills. It usually takes around 20 minutes to complete.

You need access to technology including a computer with a camera, sound and keyboard to attend your virtual interview. If you think you may have trouble getting these, please urgently contact us to arrange another option.

If you’re successful in stage 3, we’ll place you in a merit pool. Being in a merit pool doesn’t mean you’ll be offered a position.

You’ll be invited to record an About Me video. This will give you an opportunity to tell us about yourself. Your About Me video is not assessed and will be available to all partnering agencies so they can learn more about you. To learn how you can make an About Me video, you can watch the 2 examples of videos recorded by our staff.

If you have any questions about completing this stage, please contact us.

Stage 4. Receive employment offer and complete pre-employment checks

You’ll be considered for all available positions within the Australian Government Indigenous Apprenticeships Program. We’ll use your preferred location to do this. If you’re successful, we may offer you either:

• one job with one department or agency
• more than one job in different departments or agencies.

If you’re offered a job with more than one department or agency, you can choose which job offer to take.

Your department or agency will let you know your start date in a letter through the onboarding process.

During your onboarding, you must provide at least 4 proof of identity documents. They must include:

• one commencement document, such as a birth certificate or Australian passport
• one primary document, such as a current driver licence or proof of age card
• Two secondary documents, such as a Medicare card or front of bank card.

Before you get a formal job offer, you must meet all the pre-employment checks. These may include any of these:

• confirm your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
• police history check
• working with children or vulnerable people check
• referee checks
• health clearance to confirm your fitness for duty and identify any support you might need in the workplace
• past and current employment check.

We’ll arrange for these checks. We’ll let you know what you need to do to complete them.

You must also be willing to undergo and maintain an Australian Government security clearance. The level of clearance you’ll need to maintain will depend on the position we offer you.

You might also need to undergo ongoing suitability assessments as part of your employment.

Merit pool

If you don’t receive a job offer you’ll remain in the merit pool. Merit pools expire after 18 months from the date the positions were advertised.

If you decline a job offer, we’ll ask if you want to stay in the merit pool.

Staying in the merit pool means we can consider you for other vacancies in similar roles.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the application process, email us at iap@hudson.com.

For job application tips, read the Australian Public Service Commission’s Cracking the code guide.