The Australian Tax Office Announces New Recruitment Program for High School Leavers in Regional Areas

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has announced a new recruitment program that gives recent high school graduates living in four regional towns an opportunity to land a 12-month job with the ATO.
The program known as the “Career Kickstart Program” will be available for recent high school graduates from Townsville, Geelong, Newcastle and Gosford.

Successful candidates will be required to undergo formal training prior to undertaking work experience as a client experience officer or an administration officer. Applicants can also expect to receive a competitive salary.

The purpose of the recruitment program is to open up a career pathway for grade 12 graduates or for those students who are planning to undertake a gap year.

The program will enable young Australians to develop new skills in a professional and supportive environment, gain valuable work experience to bolster their resume, earn a great income and build professional capabilities and work practices.

In a statement regarding the program the ATO has said that “this new program really rounds out our suite of entry-level employment programs, along with our award-winning Graduate program, our Evergreen Indigenous program, our University Partnership Employment program and our Opening Doors program”.

The structure and lifestyle of studying at university doesn’t suit everyone’s style of learning and some high school graduates are keen to take a break between school and university. It is intended that the ATO’s new program will specifically appeal to these two groups of young people who are searching for employment.

Applications for this years Career Kickstart program will open on Tuesday 18th May and will close on Wednesday 2nd June. Those applicants who are successful in obtaining employment through the program will commence work in August 2021.

There are currently close to 19,000 employees at the ATO, with over 1,200 currently working out of these four offices alone. The program will assist school leavers with exploring different potential career pathways.

It might be surprising for some people to know that not everyone employed by the Australian Tax Office is an accountant. There are employment opportunities for Australians who are wishing to work in everything ranging from IT to marketing and communications to human resources all the way to employment opportunities in customer service.

To apply for the “Career Kickstart” program, an applicant must have graduated high school in 2020, must be an Australian citizen and they must be willing to undertake and pass a police clearance check and other security checks.

The successful applicant will have competent written and verbal communication skills, be capable of working in a scheduled and phone-based environment. The successful application should also have good computer skills and known how to operate in a Windows-based environment. The application must be a team player, must be a work who is resilient, flexible and independent. They must also have a willingness to learn as well as a proactive approach to their work and embrace challenges.
Successful applicants who are employed as a “Administrator Officer” as part of their job will be required to manage and maintain records and information. They will also be required to compile and prepare documents and letters. As part of their position of employment will be required to work with the ATO’s stakeholders and also have to undertake data management and reporting.

Recent high school gradates who are employed under the program as a “Client Experience Officer” their job will include roles such as; resolving a broad range of customer enquiries, verifying and updating data. They will also be required to provide technical advice on legislation, policy and procedures. They also have to record interactions in the ATO’s business information systems.



The Australian Tax Office Announces New Recruitment Program for High School Leavers in Regional Areas