The new GovTech Talent Graduate Programme has signed up an Otago Polytechnic Graduate as one of the fifteen lucky students who will take part in the programme.

Jacob Ong, who holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and a Diploma in Accounting, was selected out of 460 applicants for the programme.

The GovTech Talent Graduate Programme is a 24-month initiative that aims to build the government's information, technology and digital talent base.

Participants spend eight months in through three of the seven government agencies, working in security, information and data, project delivery, technology, user experience (UX) and digital integration.

The programme targets tertiary students and recent graduates. Candidates participated in several selection stages, including an online game that identified behavioural traits such as motivation, persistence and risk propensity.

“The best thing about this opportunity is the variety - we work in three different government agencies for eight months each. So we get to experience how the different departments work, contribute our expertise and be part of digital transformation across the public sector,” Ong says.

The GovTech Talent Graduate Programme has been co-designed by the Department of Internal Affairs, Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Primary Industries, NZ Transport Agency and Statistics NZ.