Sandpit

An intensive program that draws on collective knowledge, breaks down silos & reimagines how public sector problems can be solved

How It Works

The six-week intensive program gives public sector change makers the tools and experience they need to explore, test and validate their ideas.

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Skills + Tools

We provide practical tools and leader-led workshops to work agile, think lean and explore the future of your idea.

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Action Learning

Participants form cross-sector teams to work on real-world ideas with impact. No textbooks, just hustle.

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Collaborate + Build

We team you with experienced designers and developers to give your idea a go, find out if it has legs, and build a roadmap to scale it.

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“Coming up with a prototype in a number of weeks rather than months, that could actually solve a real world problem is a fantastic challenge to take on.“

– Natalie Rudolph, Public Transport Victoria

Meet Your Mentors

When you learn with us, you’ll be connected to a network of makers and innovators who will draw from experience, tools and research to guide you through your journey.

Common Questions

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What are the goals of the Sandpit?

We create spaces for public sector changemakers to give their ideas a go; safely yet with all the tools they need to move forward and scale them.

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Who will I be sitting next to?

You’ll be teamed up with talented technologists and surrounded by likeminded changemakers from the public sector. Everyone who particiaptes in the Sandpit is passionate about finding new ways to solve government challenges.

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What do I bring with me?

Energy and a book to capture your notes. We also cater each session with delicious food so bring your appetite.

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How much does it cost?

We’d love to offer this program for free, but we haven’t found the magic person or organisation to fund it. In the meantime, the cost per team is $10k (excluding GST). Bring one idea and up to two people. We recommend sending two people because your organisation will double its learning.

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What are the dates and times?

The Sandpit runs over six weeks, in twelve two-hour sessions: Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm and Friday mornings from 8-10am. You will need to set aside some extra time on top of this for project work. Our next Sandpit is ready to kick off when you are – get in touch with us to chat through the dates you have in mind.

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How can I benefit from participating?

If you’ve ever had an idea to make something in the public sector more affordable, scalable, easy or efficient, this is the place to validate it. By participating in the Sandpit you can expect to walk away having explored your idea, with hands on experience in collaboratively validating, testing and scaling it.

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How much tech do I need to know?

None! All we need to know is that you’re interested in learning. We will help demistify the nitty-gritty of prototyping, online collaboration, product lifecycles and the strings behind the buttons you push.

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Is there any pre-reading?

Nope – you can read blog posts from previous participants but no pre-work is necessary.

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I need to convince my boss, can you help?

We’ve prepared a pitch deck to help our public sector friends request support to participate in the Sandpit. Shoot us a message and we’d be happy to send through a copy.

Take The Next Step

Grab a copy of our info pack to find out about focus areas, course content, speakers, times and more.

What People Love

Without hesitation, go and do it. Go in with an open mindset, and go in with your problem set, not your solution set.

Wade Francis

Senior Service Integration Analyst, Cenitex

The outcome is that you get a deeper understanding of what your users actually need (challenging what you thought they needed), which allows you to confirm or disprove your assumptions.

Frederick Leung

Consultant Iteration Manager, DiUS

It’s not just access to the industry people but also to the things that they’re willing to share, that made it an excellent experience.

Rebecca Johnston

Senior Lawyer - Practice Standards, Victoria Legal Aid

One of the real strengths is the collaboration across different government sectors and with the private sector, in bringing in those different ideas and different perspectives.

Jeremy Harris

Department of Premier & Cabinet, NSW

Our Alumni

We’re proud to have worked with participants from agencies, departments and organisations across Australia.

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We're based in Melbourne, on the traditional lands of the Woiwurrung and Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin nation.

We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging across Australia.

As an organisation we benefit from the rich history of contributions that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people have made to the world.

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