What’s your dream?
Every career starts with a dream. CareerTrackers helps First Nations university students turn theirs into a reality with paid internships.
Real students. Real dreams.
We asked CareerTrackers students one question: what’s your dream? Their answers say everything about what this program is for. To teach Aboriginal history and change the story the next generation grows up with. To be a voice for vulnerable kids.
Watch what they told us.
Whatever your dream looks like, CareerTrackers helps you build the career that gets you there.
What is CareerTrackers?
CareerTrackers is a national not-for-profit that supports First Nations university students to thrive at uni and step into the careers they want.
We match you with a paid internship in your field, every year of your degree, so you graduate with real experience, real relationships and a real head start.
A dedicated advisor works alongside you the whole way, and you join a national community of Indigenous students and professionals who have your back.
What are you studying?
Whatever it is, there’s a good chance we place students from it. These are the degrees our interns come from most often.
Studying something that isn’t here? Register anyway. Your advisor works with the degree you’re already doing.
- Law
- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Business
- Architecture & Design
- Communications
- Media
- Science
Is this for me?
If you’re an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student at university, or about to start, this is for you. You don’t need to have your whole future mapped out, and you don’t need to be top of your class. You only need a degree you’re working towards and a dream. Your advisor helps with everything else.
You identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
You’re at university, studying at least three subjects a semester and making steady progress toward finishing.
Then you’re eligible.
No ATAR cut-off, no fee and no shortlist to make first. We support students across every year of study and a wide range of degrees.
What you get.
A paid internship in your field.
Real, paid work experience matched to your degree and your goals, every year you study.
A dedicated advisor.
Someone in your corner who maps out your degree, goals and dreams with you, and helps you get there.
Potential scholarships.
Your advisor can help you apply for Indigenous Cadetship Support (ICS), an Australian Government scholarship paid on top of what you earn on placement.
Real employers.
Experience with over 100 leading organisations across Australia, from your first internship to your last.
A national community.
Thousands of First Nations students and professionals you can learn from, lean on and grow with.
Support that lasts.
Your relationship with CareerTrackers continues after you graduate, through a lifelong alumni network.
You’ll be ahead before you finish.
CareerTrackers puts you inside your industry while your degree is still running. Real work, on a real team, with a manager who reviews you at the end of every placement.
By the time graduate applications open, you have years of it to point at, and the people you worked for can vouch for you by name.
Interns who say they have the skills, knowledge and experience to put them ahead of other students applying for graduate positions
- Before
- 21%
- After
- 95%
CareerTrackers Leadership Development Institute survey, 2026, measured before and after the program.
Where your career could start
Your internship is matched to your degree and your goals, so it fits the future you’re building. CareerTrackers partners with leading organisations across law, engineering, finance, architecture, media, government and more.
- Bupa
- CPB Contractors
- NAB
- COX Architecture
- Lendlease
- Commonwealth Bank
- AECOM
- Qantas
- GHD
- Aurizon
- SJB
- Dentons
- Ventia
- EDL
- Westpac
- GPT Group
- Moody's
- Telstra
- BAE Systems
- Laing O'Rourke
- Herbert Smith Freehills
- Thales
- Gadens
From dream to career.
Four students in the program now, in their own words: the dream they’re chasing and how CareerTrackers is getting them there.
“My passion has always been about children, specifically vulnerable children. My dream is to be a voice for those kids, to advocate for them. I’m striving to work in policy to help make systemic change. That journey has started with CareerTrackers.”
Liliana McCarthy
Future Policymaker
Proud Badu & Darnley Island Woman
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology), Queensland University of Technology
Interned at Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services
“I know what it feels like to feel alone or unheard. My dream is to help create safe, supportive spaces where young people feel understood, valued and proud of who they are. I hope to break stereotypes and reduce stigma around mental health.”
Destyn Olsen
Future Changemaker
Proud Kunja & Wailwan Woman
Bachelor of Criminology/Psychological Science, University of Newcastle
Interned at GPT Group
“I wish to see more young people being hired, even if they don’t have the experience yet. My dream is to start my own architecture firm; I just want to give new and emerging architects a place to practice what they love.”
Jaime Woodbridge
Future Business Owner
Proud Wiradjuri Woman
Bachelor of Business (Finance), Queensland University of Technology
Interned at Commonwealth Bank Australia
“My dream is to teach the next generation about Aboriginal history. I’ve always debated with teachers and principals on the importance of Aboriginal history because reconciliation always comes through education.”
Austin Woods
Future Educator
Proud Wiradjuri Man
Secondary Education, Macquarie University
Interned at Premier’s Department NSW
How it works
From your first form to your first day on the job, you’re never doing it alone.
Start your journeyRegister your interest.
Submit the online form and we’ll call to talk through your eligibility and answer your questions.
Meet your advisor.
Together you map out your degree, your goals and your dream.
Orientation.
Meet the other First Nations students starting alongside you, get to know your advisor face to face and find out exactly how your CareerTrackers year works.
Get ready.
Interview prep, employer matching and networking events.
Kick-off workshops and Program Days.
Mandatory development sessions for all interns. Kick-off workshops are for students new to the program and Program Days are held during your internship.
Your internship.
Winter internships run in July. Summer internships run from November to February.
National Student Conference, Sydney.
A three-day event to celebrate the year and connect with First Nations students from across the country.
FAQs
Questions? We’ve got you.
CareerTrackers is for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students studying, or about to study, at university. You don’t need to be top of your class. Register your interest and we’ll talk it through with you.
No. That’s our job. Your advisor works with our partner employers to match you with an internship that fits your degree and your goals.
Yes. Every CareerTrackers internship is paid by the employer.
With over 100 partner organisations across Australia, spanning law, engineering, finance, architecture, media, government and more. Your placement is matched to your field and, where possible, your location.
This varies by university and degree. Some placements can count toward work-integrated learning credit; your advisor can help you check with your university.
We’ll call you to talk through your eligibility and what you’re looking for, then pair you with an advisor who helps you plan your next steps. No commitment, just a conversation.
What’s your dream? Let’s build the career that gets you there.
Registering takes a few minutes and there’s no commitment. We’ll call you, answer your questions and help you work out if CareerTrackers is right for you.
Until registrations close
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