Do a gap year with the Defence Force

Year 12 graduates feeling at a loss should consider taking a gap year in the armed forces, assistant Defence Minister Michael McCormack says.

Almost 500 places are available for graduates to join the Army, Navy or Air Force for a year in 2017.

"The year 12 graduates who complete this program gain valuable training and life skills," Mr McCormack said in a statement.

"More than 40 per cent of applicants for the 2016 program were women and Defence also sees the potential for the gap year to increase the participation of indigenous Australians in the ADF workforce."

Mr McCormack launched the gap year program at the ADF Careers Expo in Melbourne on Friday, attended by students from more than 70 schools and universities across Australia.

Leading Seaman Kristy Clark participated in the Navy Program in 2009 and went on to become a training instructor.

"It gave me an appreciation for the core roles within Navy and opened my eyes to see that without each person doing their job correctly, the Navy couldn't function as a team," she said.

The government has committed $57.5 million to the program in 2016-17.