Growing Queensland’s tech solutions and workforce

WorkingMouse Pty Ltd has been delivering modernising legacy systems since 2012.

The company exemplifies Queensland Government’s procurement approach of ‘Putting Queenslanders first’ through its commitment to local employment and Queensland suppliers, paid traineeships, a scholarship, and sponsorships supporting diversity and inclusivity.

Director and Chief Growth Officer, David Burkett, said the Milton-based, medium-sized enterprise had 45 staff in Brisbane. It currently has government contracts with TMR & eHealth.

WorkingMouse was awarded $250,000 in round 2 of the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund in 2017 for its Codebots platform, with the grant enabling the company to commercialise the technology and tools with the aim of exporting it.

Being awarded this opportunity, as well as other opportunities provided to them by small businesses, cemented the company’s ardent commitment to give back to Queenslanders.

WorkingMouse invests almost $800,000 across 56 Queensland suppliers annually, many of whom are local. David said developing these relationships brought ‘value and trust’, and ‘what we invest in the community stays in the community—it’s circular’.

Through partnerships with the University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), WorkingMouse currently offers around 10 paid-on-the job-traineeships to casual undergraduate software developers annually. Overall, the company has offered 66 traineeships over 10 years.

David said training local Queensland talent was ‘fundamental to the business’, and gave undergraduates the practical skills, (including real customer experience) to work on software projects for Queensland businesses, while fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration in the tech industry.

Some of the trainees join WorkingMouse, while others work in different careers within the Queensland technology sector.

In partnership with UQ, WorkingMouse supports Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and female students studying software engineering by offering one $5000 ‘Codebots Scholarship’ annually.

It also sponsors QUT student-run club, ‘Gender Equity in Engineering Makes Sense (GEMS)’, and at least 5 university events a year.

Through their business actions—developing software solutions, providing training for Queenslanders, supporting local employment and Queensland suppliers, and encouraging gender equity and inclusivity, WorkingMouse truly contributes to putting Queenslanders first.