Graduate Profiles

Jason Court

I completed an education degree from Murdoch University in WA and have worked in primary, secondary and tertiary education. In 2004 I completed a Master of Education majoring in Leadership and Management through the University of Southern Queensland.

I have worked in a range of cultural and development settings both in Australia and overseas including a remote community school located on the edge of the Little Sandy Desert in Western Australia and lecturing in TAFE. I worked for the Cook Islands Ministry of Education on volunteer placement with Australian Volunteers International, and taught high school science, primary education and teacher training. Just prior to joining AusAID, I held the position of Special Education Adviser to the Cook Islands Ministry of Education where I had the opportunity to manage education development activities and write education policy.

The AusAID Graduate Program provides a diverse range of challenging and exciting experiences. My first rotation was in the Quality Improvement Section where I assisted with the development of good practice examples of aid activities for publishing on AusAID's intranet. I also participated in several Peer Appraisals of development activities, which are an important part of AusAID's quality assurance system. During this rotation, I spent a month in the Office of the Director General where I assisted with the organisation of the Aid Advisory Council Meeting, and co-wrote an analysis paper on Africa as part of the White Paper process.

My second rotation was in the Solomon Islands Section where I worked on the Law and Justice Program. This involved forwarding recruitment and tendering processes, developing Records of Understanding, and writing service orders and tasking notes for contractors. A highlight of this rotation was travelling to Honiara to participate in planning meetings and to develop in-country knowledge. During this rotation, I spent a month in the Ministerial and Parliamentary Services Unit where I had the opportunity to compile the daily Ministerial Issues paper, work on a freedom of information request and become familiar with AusAID's official correspondence procedures.

My final rotation was in the Budget Unit where I worked on agency wide expenditure reporting to the AusAID Executive and the Department of Finance, and assisted with preparation of the 2006-07 Aid Budget.

Since completing the Graduate Program, I spent several months working on the Pacific Education Program, researching and developing new education initiatives as part of the White Paper process. In early 2007 I was posted to Kiribati as First Secretary (Development Cooperation) where I am currently located. This position involves hands on engagement with the Government of Kiribati, others donors and community organisations, in the development and delivery of Australia's development cooperation program with Kiribati. This is the most interesting and exciting job I have ever had. I am developing new skills and learning more about social and economic development from every angle.

There are a huge range of experiences and opportunities afforded to AusAID graduates. The program facilitates the gaining of experience in all facets of the delivery of the Australian Government's Official Aid Program and assists graduates to discover the part of the aid program where they would most like to contribute. There is an ongoing and steep learning curve; however there are solid support mechanisms in place to make this an exciting and rewarding start to a career in international development. I highly recommend the AusAID graduate program for anyone interested in a career devoted to improving the lives of people who are less fortunate than us.