WAM for Graduates

WAM advertises opportunities available through the programme to those who are registered on WAMworks, our graduate database and across other networks. Information about the roles available as well as instructions on how to apply will be listed in the current opportunities section of our website. Interested graduates then submit applications and these are processed by the WAM Team.

Although WAM advertises the roles that are available, each employer receives all completed applications and applies their own recruitment and selection processes to the candidates. After interviews have been conducted, a candidate is chosen by the employer for the role available.

Please Note: WAM is a mainstream competitive process and there is no guarantee of an interview or a placement with the WAM Programme.

Successful candidates, who are offered a placement, must complete a WAM Needs Assessment before beginning their placement.

The WAM Needs Assessment is conducted by a member of the WAM Team and will look at what reasonable accommodations, if any, the candidate will require in order to undertake the role they have been offered. A Needs Assessment Recommendations Report is compiled by WAM in consultation with the candidate and this is then returned to the employer prior to the placement beginning.

Please Note: Candidates will be asked to disclose their disability for the purpose of the needs assessment, but this information will not be made available to the employer without the candidates’ consent.

The following are some example of the types of reasonable accommodations that have been put in place by employers for WAM Placements:

• Assistive Technology for visually impaired graduates such as JAWS & Kurzweil;
• Time off for medical appointments;
• Sign language interpreters for interviews for graduates who are deaf;
• Modifications to work tasks.

Every candidate who takes up a WAM Placement is allocated an in-house mentor. Mentors are other employees who work in the organisation but who are not the placed candidates’ direct line manager or supervisor. Mentoring is a process through which an experienced person provides support, guidance and encouragement to a less experienced person. Both candidates and mentors are provided with training on the WAM Mentoring Model prior to the placement beginning.

Before the placement starts, training is provided to participating managers, mentors and placed candidates on the programme. Training covers topics such as the WAM Programme itself, disability awareness and the WAM Mentoring Model. It is during the pre-placement training that mentors and placed candidates (also known as mentees) meet for the first time.

Please Note: Pre placement training is compulsory for all involved in the WAM Programme.

After pre placement training takes place, successful candidates start their new role in the company. Members of the WAM Team check in with mentees, managers and mentors regularly to ensure that the placement is going well and all agreed supports are in place.

At the end of the placement, WAM carries out an evaluation to gather the learning from all parties involved. The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that WAM captures and consolidates the learning from all involved in the programme.