YOUNG WOMEN
Secure employment opportunities in growing sectors
of the economy have yet to emerge for young women without
tertiary qualifications. Statistics on young women's
full-time unemployment (aged 15-19 years) indicate
that full-time work opportunities for female school
leavers are limited. Young women's full-time unemployment
rate is consistently higher than for young men. In
the 12 months to February 1997, the average rate for
young women was 31 per cent, compared to 26 per cent
for young men. The Government has identified youth
unemployment as an area of particular concern and has
already put in place a number of measures designed
to improve young people's preparedness for the labour
market and their competitiveness. These measures include
the literacy and numeracy initiative, the expansion
of vocational education options in schools, the development
of New Apprenticeships, and the retention of junior
rates of pay.
Towards
Employment-Strategies for Schools and Training
The Government will support and encourage schools to
develop strategies that prepare students in their transition
to employment, further education and training. Schools
will be encouraged to tender to operate as employment
agencies and to take an active role in providing job
brokerage for school leavers. Strategies may include
the extension of support and information services to
students, including advice on employment and training
options; and assistance to students in accessing external
support services.
Green Corps
The Green Corps programme offers full-time accredited
training opportunities of six months for young people
(aged 17-20 years) interested in cultural heritage
protection and environmental issues. At the end of
their placement in the Corps, trainees will be eligible
for a grant from the Government of $500 to assist them
to meet the costs of ongoing further education. They
will also be able to use their Green Corps training
as credit in further education and training.
The Government has provided over $41 million to Green
Corps over three years through the Department of Employment,
Education, Training and Youth Affairs. This will enable
up to 3,500 young people to participate in the programme.
Already in the first round of Green Corps projects
which commenced in March 1997, 43 per cent of the participants
were female.
Examples of Green Corps projects which have attracted
a high number of women are the Millstream Chichester
National Park, near Karratha in WA, where eight out
of ten participants are female, and the revegetation
programme operating through the Western Plains Zoo
in Dubbo, NSW.
Work for the Dole
A series of pilot Work for the Dole projects will be
located in rural Australia and regions where job opportunities
for young people are most limited. These projects will
enable young people to make a valuable contribution
to their community through work experience. It will
help break the cycle of despair and despondency felt
by so many young unemployed people.
This initiative is targeted at young people aged 18
to 24 years who have been unemployed for at least six
months. This programme has the potential to benefit
young women who are long term unemployed.
Young jobseekers who participate in this initiative
will have the chance to add to their work experience
and demonstrate their abilities through participation
in projects which are supported by the community, and
are of value to the communities in which they live.
Participants will work for two six hour days if aged
18 to 20 years and two and a half six hour days if
21 years and over, and will be required to participate
for a maximum of six months each. Participants will
be paid an extra $20 per fortnight to cover any additional
costs of working. For young women participants with
children, the Government will arrange and cover the
full cost of childcare. It is anticipated that the
first pilot projects will commence in September 1997.
New Apprenticeships
Training and employment opportunities for women will
be expanded and improved through the development and
implementation of New Apprenticeships.
Key features of the new training system include the
development of part-time apprenticeships and traineeships;
the expansion of apprenticeships and traineeships into
new and growing industries and sectors where women
are employed in significant numbers; and research to
develop ways to overcome barriers that discourage women
from participation in non-traditional and emerging
fields of training and employment.
