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Four defence companies – Thales, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Broadspectrum – have made the list of the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 graduate employers.
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The list reveals where the nation's newest graduates want to work, and is made from the contributions of 37,497 users of the GradConnection website that expressed an interest in graduate positions in the 12 months to October 2016.
The list ranks the companies through percentage of users that want work with the employer.
Coming in at number 25 is Broadspectrum with 4 per cent of the vote, followed by Thales at 42 with 3 per cent, Lockheed Martin at 56 with 2 per cent and BAE Systems at 74, also with 2 per cent.
The Department of Defence also made the list at number 48 with 3 per cent.
The results, and the focus on joining defence organisations, comes as no surprise to Thales Australia.
"The defence industry is a growing market, with many ongoing large-scale projects and more investment to come in the future," a Thales Australia spokesperson said.
"We are involved in projects from customer briefing through design and delivery to through life support, so graduates get to see all phases of a program. The structure and support within our programs means that graduates learn best practice from day one.
"Thales is a global organisation that offers a wide range of opportunities to new graduates. Our programs are often varied, large and complex, giving graduates the opportunity to be at the forefront of technology and work with both local and international teams.
"We also offer all our graduates a permanent job from day one, not just a fixed contract for the duration of the grad program."
Thales Australia believe that their graduate programs are a big drawcard for graduates looking to secure work that will prepare them for future employment.
"Our Graduate Development Program, in conjunction with on-the-job training, is intended to transform our graduates. The main training elements are interactive and experiential, allowing them time and space to explore the areas in which they excel and those they need to develop," the spokesperson said.
"Graduates receive excellent training from experienced colleagues in our organisation, and have access to further technical and professional learning opportunities to extend their expertise. Throughout the program, they also work with fellow graduates on innovation projects, enabling them to develop new skills while building important networks that include senior leaders. Graduate engineers are also supported towards professional registration with the help of a mentor and a structured technical development plan."
