The Australian Government’s Digital Identity program was seeking a visual scribe to capture a stakeholder webinar. Albert Iskandar from Services Australia said, “Yes please!”
Albert Iskandar from Services Australia doing visual scribing of Digital Identity stakeholder webinar
oneAPS Opportunities is a Digital Profession pilot program for posting and finding flexible work opportunities in government. Unlike secondments, these opportunities are like micro-assignments and supported by informal arrangements.
Krista Hulm (Lead researcher, Digital Profession) had a chat with Albert about his experience of the oneAPS opportunity.
Why did you decide to apply for this opportunity?
I thought it might be fun. Live scribing is not something I get the opportunity to do a lot. I found it a bit scary doing it live - it made me nervous. But I thought, ‘Oh I'll take this challenge!’
This was an opportunity for me to increase my skills in all aspects. I also thought it was great that I could do this just for a few hours here and there in a defined period.
How did you approach your manager about working part-time on an opportunity?
I have an amazing manager who supports my development. I had a chat with him and said this was something that would be a good challenge for me. We also thought this would be a good opportunity to learn about Digital Identity. I also said that I could work on this on the side for a few hours while still managing our deliverables. He told me to go for it.
What are your thoughts on the oneAPS Opportunities platform and concept?
It’s really straightforward. It's just like registering for any account online.
I think it's an awesome little platform that people can gain a lot from. When you duck out from your usual environment, even for a couple of hours into someone else's office (or just take a break from your usual work to do something else), I think that broadens the mind a little bit. Especially for people who have been stuck in a particular role or task and not seeing much elsewhere.
And with a platform like this, the ability to be able to pull [talent] from other agencies, when needed, is amazing.
Visual scribe output for Digital Identity. Full size image (PNG, 8.58 MB)
How would you describe your experience of doing the opportunity?
I didn't see this as work - I saw this as fun, like an extracurricular activity.
I got a lot more out of it than I expected and not just around upskilling myself. My curiosity in Digital Identity at the Digital Transformation Agency has been poked and it really made me think about how important it is to make our lives easier.
How likely would you be to recommend this program to others?
To me, something like a secondment usually means lots of paperwork and complexity. So to be able to do an opportunity through this program was easy and more informal.
At every office I go to, people are usually in cubicles, in their own teams, their own divisions. That's how it's been for decades right? I think it's important to do something else for a change.
You might have skills and interests that are not part of your role and another agency really needs help. So I would say go for it! The more people who try this and have good experiences like me, the more people will know about it.
‘We appreciated Albert applying his skills to our program and sharing his talents with us.’ - Digital Identity program
Apply for an opportunity today to flex digital skills, complete meaningful work and make connections across government.
Post or apply for a mobility opportunity
Although the oneAPS Opportunities pilot program has ended, join the Digital Profession as a Practitioner to access short-term flexible mobility opportunities in the Digital Profession Member Community. If you have any questions, reach out to digitalprofession@apsc.gov.au