Yes you can. You must complete your undergraduate or post graduate degree by the end of 2019 at an Australian tertiary institution and be available to commence full time employment in late January or early February 2020.

All roles offered within the SuperGrads program are full-time positions. What is also required of all applicants is an interest in working in the superannuation industry, as well as a genuine desire to make a difference to the quality of retirement of working Australians.

Applications for the 2020 program will open towards the end of October 2020.

Applicants may be required to complete four stages of selection:

1. Online Application - to collate your personal education and professional information, and explore your reasons for applying for SuperGrads. Applications are currently open.

2. Online video - once the recruitment team has assessed your application after the closing date, shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a video interview. Shortlisted candidates will receive this invitation to the email address that they applied with, so it is important to keep a regular eye on your inbox.
   
   Once you receive an email with all the details on how to complete the video, you will have an opportunity to have a practice question before your start recording. Video interviewing will take place in December 2019.

3. Individual Interviews - those shortlisted applicants who impress at the online video stage may be selected for individual interviews with your future employer. These are likely to occur in December 2019 or January 2020 with a hiring manager of the fund.

4. You will be required to provide the contact name, email address and telephone number of two referees in order to complete the reference checks. We ask you to kindly contact your referees and let them know about the opportunity you have been short listed for, so they are prepared to discuss your background and skills with our recruitment team.

5. Successful applicants will be notified to commence employment by late January 2020.

During the twelve month training program, participants will undertake RG146. This nationally recognised course is widely considered a necessary pre-requisite qualification for most roles in the superannuation industry and is the first module of the Diploma of Superannuation.

Graduates also attend formal facilitated training during our two residential weeks to learn the history, context and objectives of all profit-to-member funds, and strengthen their employability skills including project management, business process and emotional intelligence. Graduates will also have the opportunity to design a professional development plan in consultation with their manager to attend other seminars, soft-skills training, workshops and conferences during the twelve month program. Some training is included in the residential program, while others are in alternate work time and interstate travel may be required depending on the professional development opportunities selected.

In addition, graduates will also attend the Conference of Major Superannuation Funds (CMSF) - the leading three day conference for profit-to-member super funds which will be held in Adelaide in 2020.

Absolutely not! The cost of the program is covered by the employer you are placed with. All training and travel expensesrequired for the program are also covered so there is no out ofpocket expense to graduates. All SuperGrads are also paid a competitive salary by their employer just like any other employee.

Yes, the cost of the training as well as flights, accommodationand meals for interstate attendance, will be covered as part of theprogram.

You could be employed by an industry superannuation fund, ME Bank, administration provider, investment house or other superannuation related entity that shares the values of profit-to-member ethos.

The program will commence in late January / early February 2020 and run for 12 months on a full time fixed term contract. Depending on your performance and the business requirements, your Employer may choose to offer you an ongoing employment contract after you have successfully completed all the requirements of the program.

The objectives and philosophy of the industry superannuation funds differ significantly from that of mainstream financial institutions. Profit-to-member super funds return all profits generated through investments to their members rather than to shareholders - they exist to serve the members.

Since 2004, the SuperGrads program has assisted the sector in sourcing and developing graduate talent by providing a program that develops future industry leaders that understand the objectives and origins of profit-to-member ethos to achieve positive outcomes formembers.

Many of our SuperGrad candidates are new to Industry Superannuation, or are beginning their professional careers. The base salary for Grads will vary from $55,000 - $70,000 dependent on experience and discipline of study.

Please note that base salary does not include superannuationor other entitlements that are paid in addition to base salary. Alternative arrangements may be negotiated at the discretion of the employing fund or organisation to comply with internal classification structures or based on experience.

Profit-to-member super funds include industry funds, corporatefunds and public sector funds. All profits (less administration andinvestment costs) derived from investment returns are returned tomembers.

Industry funds are multi-employer funds, usually coveringemployees in one or more industries. Examples include:Australian Super, Cbus, First State Super, HESTA, CareSuper, IFM Investors, NGS Super, ME Bank and TWUSUPER.

Profit-to-member super funds:

• Generally charge lower fees to their members than retail funds
• On average have had consistently better investment returns than retail funds
• Have joint employee and employer representatives on their trustee boards
• Are solely committed to maximising the retirement incomes oftheir members, rather than providing returns to shareholders

You can email us at aistsupergrads@aist.asn.au