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Strategy

Your first move to a successful early careers strategy

Your graduate program is more than just ‘hiring young people’. Get the strategy right, and you’re not just filling roles, you’re building for what comes next. The organisations we work with already understand that potential. It’s why they come to us.

Trusted to develop early careers talent at these organisations

  • Accenture
  • Allianz
  • Aurecon
  • Australian Government logo
  • BDO
  • Built
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • Energy Queensland
  • Hydro Tasmania
  • IAG
  • John Holland
  • Monash University
  • Newton
  • Pitcher Partners
  • Powerlink
  • Queensland Government
  • Queensland Rail
  • Reserve Bank of Australia
  • Schneider Electric
  • Stantec
  • Teach for Australia
  • Transgrid
  • Urbis
  • Victorian Government
  • White and Case
  • Wood
  • Accenture
  • Allianz
  • Aurecon
  • Australian Government logo
  • BDO
  • Built
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • Energy Queensland
  • Hydro Tasmania
  • IAG
  • John Holland
  • Monash University
  • Newton
  • Pitcher Partners
  • Powerlink
  • Queensland Government
  • Queensland Rail
  • Reserve Bank of Australia
  • Schneider Electric
  • Stantec
  • Teach for Australia
  • Transgrid
  • Urbis
  • Victorian Government
  • White and Case
  • Wood
Brightworks office meeting room

why strategy

Why strategy matters

Why strategy matters

01

Without strategy, nobody agrees what the program is for

When a program runs without a clear purpose or connection to business needs, it shows up right across the organisation.

02

It’s too costly – and valuable – to be left to chance

An early careers program without strategy isn’t just a workforce planning problem. It costs you time and money too.

03

You’re hiring for today and not for what’s next

Recruitment fills this year’s roles. But may not diversify your talent pool or build the critical skills the business will depend on.

04

Without strategy, there’s nothing to measure against

You can’t know what’s working, or what isn’t, when no one knows what success looks like.

why Brightworks

Brightworks is the only strategic early careers consultancy in Australia.

We have over 35 years of combined early careers experience – working across recruitment and development on both the strategic and management sides – which means we understand these programs from the inside and out.

why Brightworks

Brightworks is the only strategic early careers consultancy in Australia.

We have over 35 years of combined early careers experience – working across recruitment and development on both the strategic and management sides – which means we understand these programs from the inside and out.

How we work

Strategy runs through everything we do

Whether you work with us for a workshop, short sprint or deeper strategic partnership, our process is the same: start from what success actually looks like and build everything from there. That expertise has helped our clients improve employer rankings, create award-winning graduate programs and build confidence in the path ahead.

Defined pathway

You always know where you are and what comes next, with deliverables that guide each step.

Defined pathway

You always know where you are and what comes next, with deliverables that guide each step.

Defined pathway

You always know where you are and what comes next, with deliverables that guide each step.

Built around business outcomes

We start with what you need your early careers program to deliver, and create the strategy from there.

Built around business outcomes

We start with what you need your early careers program to deliver, and create the strategy from there.

Built around business outcomes

We start with what you need your early careers program to deliver, and create the strategy from there.

Ready for implementation

Our early careers strategy is made for your team to act on – and we stay close while they do.

Ready for implementation

Our early careers strategy is made for your team to act on – and we stay close while they do.

Ready for implementation

Our early careers strategy is made for your team to act on – and we stay close while they do.

Work with us

Three ways to work with us

01

One-day workshop

Duration: 1 day

Have a question that needs expert insight and the right people in the room to figure out? Our workshops are designed to close-the-loop on a problem, or open the door to something even better.

Who it's for

✓ You’re questioning whether the structure of your program is giving you the results you expect.

✓ You want a health check on your graduate program from Australia’s leading early careers specialists.

What's included

How it works

What you walk away with

02

Sprint

Duration: 3 weeks

Strategic thinking and doing, all in a three-week sprint. We collaborate with you to solve a particular challenge around your early career program’s structure, recruitment or impact.

Who it's for

✓ You need strategic support and implementation within your graduate program – with a short-term focus.

✓ Your challenge requires research and an in-depth review from people who have sat where you are.

What's included

How it works

What you walk away with

03

Strategic Partnership

Duration: 3 months

A strategic, embedded partnership where we work alongside your team to reshape your early careers program. You’ll get the strategy, the tools, the frameworks and (importantly) the confidence your program is delivering what it was designed for.

Who it's for

✓ Your early careers program needs a clear strategy to redesign or refine it.

✓ You want expert people alongside you to set up the structure and framework for an industry-leading program.

What's included

How it works

What you walk away with

Packages and pricing

Strategy services

Duration

Investment

Best for

Who you’ll work with

Implementation

You walk away with

One-day workshop

1 day

From $8,000

Defined question or challenge

1–2 senior consultants

Your team, following the action steps

Strategic plan on a page and prioritised action steps

Sprint

3 weeks

From $25,000

Deeper research and strategic support

A dedicated consultant

Your team, with support from a senior consultant

A research-backed roadmap and presentation for your senior leadership

Strategic Partnership

3 months

From $50,000

Redesigning your early careers program

One senior consultant throughout

Delivered alongside you

Strategy, frameworks, templates and structure to take you forward

  • One-day workshop
    Duration

    1 day

    Investment

    From $8,000

    Best for

    Defined question or challenge

    Who you’ll work with

    1–2 senior consultants

    Implementation

    Your team, following the action steps

    You walk away with

    Strategic plan on a page and prioritised action steps

  • Sprint
    Duration

    3 weeks

    Investment

    From $25,000

    Best for

    Deeper research and strategic support

    Who you’ll work with

    A dedicated consultant

    Implementation

    Your team, with support from a senior consultant

    You walk away with

    A research-backed roadmap and presentation for your senior leadership

  • Strategic Partnership
    Duration

    3 months

    Investment

    From $50,000

    Best for

    Redesigning your early careers program

    Who you’ll work with

    One senior consultant throughout

    Implementation

    Delivered alongside you

    You walk away with

    Strategy, frameworks, templates and structure to take you forward

  • One-day workshop
    Duration

    1 day

    Investment

    From $8,000

    Best for

    Defined question or challenge

    Who you’ll work with

    1–2 senior consultants

    Implementation

    Your team, following the action steps

    You walk away with

    Strategic plan on a page and prioritised action steps

  • Sprint
    Duration

    3 weeks

    Investment

    From $25,000

    Best for

    Deeper research and strategic support

    Who you’ll work with

    A dedicated consultant

    Implementation

    Your team, with support from a senior consultant

    You walk away with

    A research-backed roadmap and presentation for your senior leadership

  • Strategic Partnership
    Duration

    3 months

    Investment

    From $50,000

    Best for

    Redesigning your early careers program

    Who you’ll work with

    One senior consultant throughout

    Implementation

    Delivered alongside you

    You walk away with

    Strategy, frameworks, templates and structure to take you forward

  • One-day workshop
    Duration

    1 day

    Investment

    From $8,000

    Best for

    Defined question or challenge

    Who you’ll work with

    1–2 senior consultants

    Implementation

    Your team, following the action steps

    You walk away with

    Strategic plan on a page and prioritised action steps

  • Sprint
    Duration

    3 weeks

    Investment

    From $25,000

    Best for

    Deeper research and strategic support

    Who you’ll work with

    A dedicated consultant

    Implementation

    Your team, with support from a senior consultant

    You walk away with

    A research-backed roadmap and presentation for your senior leadership

  • Strategic Partnership
    Duration

    3 months

    Investment

    From $50,000

    Best for

    Redesigning your early careers program

    Who you’ll work with

    One senior consultant throughout

    Implementation

    Delivered alongside you

    You walk away with

    Strategy, frameworks, templates and structure to take you forward

Not sure what you need?

The fastest way to figure out how we can help is by talking to us.

The fastest way to figure out how we can help is by talking to us.

✓

✓

STEP 01

You're here

Strategy

02

02

STEP 02

Next

Development

Next

Development

We start with strategy to give your early careers program strong foundations and clear purpose. Our development programs then help unlock the full potential of your emerging talent.

FAQs

Questions you’re thinking of asking

What does it mean to specialise in early careers strategy and development?

How do we know which option is right for us?

We already have an internal early careers team. Why bring in outside help?

Who will we be working with?

We don’t have a graduate program yet. Where should we start?

How quickly can we start?

LET'S TALK

Ready for a brighter approach to your early careers program?

Ready for a brighter approach to your early careers program?

Ready for a brighter approach to your early careers program?

We partner with leading organisations across Australia to deliver early careers strategy – and have fun while we’re at it.

We partner with leading organisations across Australia to deliver early careers strategy – and have fun while we’re at it.

Brightworks facilitator presenting to a group at a whiteboard
Brightworks facilitator presenting to a group at a whiteboard

Get in touch

Shaping early careers with purpose

Brightworks acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

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