Coles Graduate Program

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Our Graduate Program offers learning, mentoring and training to help shape future leaders. With over 10 career streams including commercial, people and culture, agribusiness, digital and technology, there’s a path for everyone.

Applications are now closed and will reopen in 2026.

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Why choose Coles Group?

Life as a Coles graduate

Curious about life as a Coles graduate? Watch as our grads share their experiences, career journeys, and what makes the program special.

Video 1:

Cam – Biggest highlight for me throughout the Grad' Program has been the ability to connect with senior stakeholders in the business and really get a feel for the way they work.

Michelle – They’ve taught me so many different things and really helped to build my skills in a variety of areas.

Tom – Just the breadth of experiences that you get.

Caitlin – Getting to see how everything comes together.

Jasmine – I’ve been able to work on some really big projects that may really be an impact to the business.

Caitlin – Getting to see things land, being able to actually see that being used in store, and, like, getting team members feedback and everything like that, I feel like that’s something I’m really proud of. Getting to be like: I did that, I got to contribute on that.

Michelle – I would tell someone who is entering the graduate program to just do all of the scary things.

Tom - You sort of have this license to ask anything of it, anyone. Even if its your GM, they’ll answer whatever you want.

Caitlin – Put yourself out there, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Cam - You will be challenged. You will be stretched. But, if you have an open mind and growth mindset, then you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.

Video 2:

Jake - I'm an OD Program Manager at Coles, so I've been in the business now for about 12 years- it’s been a long time.
Ren – Did you say 12 years?

Jake – Yes, 12 years. I started in stores when I was younger. So, as a teenager whilst in school, all the way through Uni, got a degree and then applied for Grad' Program and got into the Graduate Program in HR People and Culture and then moved into a different role again. And now I’m sitting here as a OD Program Manager, still in People and Culture.

Melanie – I’m a Digital grad, but I’m currently within the Credit cards team, looking after the Mastercards. And it’s been really interesting given I’ve had to change the mindset from data – from corp tech, which is my previous rotations of the Tech grad'.

Ren – Yeah, that’s how we met.

Melanie – Yes, and I think, credit cards is a very interesting aspect because my background is not with financial elements, it more of a business information systems and marketing and, it's really interesting.

Ren – What’s some of the highlights of the things you most like about the Graduate Program?

Jake – I think, just I enjoy just the absolute vastness of it, like we had, you know, we brought in about 100 grads from, you know, 18 different areas in the business. And getting to meet all those people kind of in my shoes and just connecting, you know, in a way that I never thought would be possible kind of in a business so early on was really nice.

And then also, you know, near the end of my time in the program, we had a thing called the Innovation Project where you actually come into a team of people from other functions that are grads, and you spend two weeks working on a presentation like a blue-sky thinking idea that you then present to the ELT. And then, it even goes up to the Board if you’re successful for those. So that was a very once-in-a-lifetime kind of getting to do that, so that was absolutely amazing.

Melanie – Coles Group rotational structure really helped me to deep dive into different things. I could try being – I came from corp-tech as a BA and even as associate project lead. That’s where I was working with, Reece. But after that, I had an interest in data. So, I got to move into data product management and try out those different things and pursue different skills that I wanted to work on. And I think ultimately, for me, I learned that I wanted to not just look towards a certain goal, but to work on certain skills that would lead me to the person I wanted to become. So, I think, don’t be afraid. The path isn’t linear. You’re not always going to do ABCD. There’s different branches and infinite possibilities.

We’re proud to say that 3.5% of our Coles Group team members identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. As one of the largest private sector employees of Indigenous Australians, we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply to our graduate program.

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Choose from our career streams

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Video 1 Meet Sanskruti
I'm Sanskruti and I'm a 2023 grad.

I studied Master of Technology in Computer Science and I'm in tech stream.

So what attracted to me to apply for Coles grad program is that Coles has an awesome reputation for supporting and developing its graduates and the chance to do multiple rotations across the business was super exciting.

And plus, hybrid work culture is a bonus.

So you can expect while joining the grad program, a supportive and friendly environment and getting a hands on experience on different projects across the business.

Plus a mentor who will guide you throughout your graduate journey.

Also, lots of networking opportunities.

The best thing about tech is to be constantly innovate and work with the cutting edge technologies and there is always something which excites you and challenges you and the team dynamic and support makes it even better.

So my proudest moment is definitely winning the Graduate of the Year award.

It's the testimonial of my hard work and contributions to the cause and it's something I'll always cherish.

This grad program is a fantastic opportunity.

It will give you hands on experience and practical training throughout business area.

Plus, it helps you to grow professionally and personally, including building some strong connections in the industry.

Video 2 Meet Alec:
My name's Alec, I started a bachelor's business majoring in marketing and I am currently in the marketing stream of the Coles Graduate Program.

What really attracted me to apply for the Coles Graduate Program was that I'd heard it was quite renowned and I thought why not give it a go.

I actually used to work in store at Coles, so I thought it'd be interesting to see the company from a different lens.

What to expect when you join the graduate program is firstly a wide variety of support programs, whether that be career focused goals or even just support groups to cater to your needs and your interests.

There is a lot there that's available to you.

Best thing about the marketing stream is that there are so many different options that you can go into.

So whether that be you want to go into brand or if you want to go into local area marketing or Flybys, there are so many different options available.

I think my proudest moment since joining the Graduate Program has definitely been within the local area marketing team.

I'm actually getting to work on the marketing for a brand new store that's going to be launching later this month.

So it's been really great to see that go from end to end and work with a great group of people.

I think you should apply for the Coles Graduate Program as you really get a hands on learning opportunity.

You get to build a strong professional network and there's just so many different areas that you can tap into, whether that be the stream that you're currently working in or even if you want to go into a different area.

Video 3 Meet Shabinaz
Hi, my name is Shaz

I studied Science and Arts at Monash University and now I'm in the commercial function at Coles.

I applied for the Coles grad program because I initially worked at Coles Camberwell for seven years and I had an incredible time in store.

My store manager spoke to me about the Coles grad program.

I was inspired by so many leaders that would walk in the shop and I thought it was an amazing opportunity to continue to grow and develop in a business that I was confident in.

When you're on the grad program, you can expect an environment that is very inclusive and very cooperative.

Everybody's really willing to teach and nurture a grad and everyone is very helpful.

One of the best things about being a grad at Coles is the fact that you get to rotate through different teams every six months and you get to network and meet so many people across the organisation.

My proudest moment as being a grad was being able to lead a range review where I got to collaborate with suppliers, with our supply chain team, with marketing and innovate a new product that I was able to land on shelf.

The best thing about being in commercial is the fact that you get to see your results land in stores, so we get to help influence what consumers in the Australian market can buy in the supermarket and see it land on shelf.

Video 4 Meet Emin & Kaylee:
My name is Kaylee, I am a 2024 People and Culture graduate here at Coles.

My name is Emin and I'm in the P&C grad stream at Coles.

I was attracted to apply for the Coles Graduate Program because I saw that the People and Culture stream really aligned with my past studies as well as my own personal bio years.

I studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology and Psychology, which can be seen as quite generalist.

But when I looked at the material that Coles was offering is that they were offering to take people from all sorts of backgrounds and really fit them into the streams that suited them the most.

What people can expect when they come into the grad program is to make a lot of friends, to learn a lot.

You'll leave the grad program being more social, more confident, and that's something that I think is really important to what you'll get from the grad program.

The best part about being the P&C stream as a graduate is a variety of opportunities that have already been given.

Working with the learning team, working in talent and a service delivery team has given me a great knowledge of what polls is really about.

There's so many different areas that you can really go into such as payroll or anything talent related or anything on the project side and I think that's something that really surprised me when I came into the grad program.

Some of the best perks about being a Coles grad is the on site parking as the access you have to the gym if you're looking for an experience and we're really focusing on not only helping you professionally shape yourself but also a program that's really tailored to your own personal development.

I think that's something that you will get from the Coles grad program as it gives you great opportunity to work on large projects.

The senior leaders, the seniors leaders have mentored me throughout my graduate program and I've learnt so much from them.

The Recruitment Process

Graduate Program FAQ

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Graduate Program

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Why choose Coles Group?

Life as a Coles graduate

Life as a Coles graduate

First Nations Graduates

Choose from our career streams

Hear from our grads

The Recruitment Process

Graduate Program FAQ

Graduate Program

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First Nations Graduates

Graduate streams

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You bring the hunger

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What's the process?

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Why choose Coles Group?

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Life as a Coles graduate

Life as a Coles graduate

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What does this mean for you?

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Choose from our career streams

Digital

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Supply Chain

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Hear from our grads

Meet Sanskruti

Meet Alec

Meet Shabinaz

Meet Emin & Kaylee

The Recruitment Process

1. Application

2. Online assessment

3. Discovery Centre

4. Verbal Offer

Graduate Program FAQ