Employment Services: Ongoing initiatives
Welfare to Work – Employer Demand and Workplace Flexibility Strategy
Commencing in 2005-06 the Employer Demand and Workplace Flexibility Strategy aims to increase workforce participation for priority groups in key industry sectors through a range of measures including improving employer awareness of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, parents, mature age job seekers and very long term unemployed and of the flexibility of workplace arrangements which are available to them.
The strategy increases employment opportunities for priority groups and assists business in regional areas to meet labour and skill shortages and the challenges of current and future demographic changes, such as an ageing population, and improving productivity through the implementation of flexible working arrangements.
Job Network
Job Network is a national network of private and community organisations assisting the unemployed, particularly long–term unemployed people, to find jobs.
Job Network has a strong presence in regional Australia with over 1,000 Job Network and other Job Placement Organisation sites located outside major metropolitan centres. During the 2005-06 financial year, Job Network members and other Job Placement Organisations placed more than 281,000 people in jobs in regional Australia, in line with the record performance of the previous financial year.
In addition, from 1 July 2006 the Government introduced the Remote Services Deed 2006-2009 to cover job seekers in the most remote parts of Australia, including the northern parts of Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and most of the Northern Territory. This is designed to enable employment programmes to be delivered in a manner that suits regional and remote locations and different labour market conditions. Thirteen organisations have been contracted under the Remote Services Deed 2006-2009 to provide a suite of employment services to communities in 16 remote Employment Services Areas, including Job Network; Community Work Co‑ordinators; Disability Employment Network; Job Placement, Employment and Training; Personal Support Programme; and New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.
Under the deed, providers can deliver services to local job seekers in a manner responsive to the needs and conditions of Indigenous communities. Providers are required to have strategies that maximise service quality, coverage and results for Indigenous communities. Providers are also required to develop strong linkages across the range of employment programmes covered in the deed to deliver the best quality service to Indigenous communities.
This approach complements the Australian Government's Welfare to Work reforms and supports policy changes aimed at maximising the economic independence of Indigenous Australians.
The Australian Government also provides Harvest Labour Services to assist rural industries to find labour to harvest crops, including the recruitment and placement of workers in harvest jobs such as fruit picking.
The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) assists eligible unemployed people to establish and manage viable new small businesses. NEIS providers in remote areas are paid higher fees recognising the additional barriers faced by people in these areas and ensuring a high quality NEIS service for participants in regional Australia.
Work for the Dole
Work for the Dole provides work experience opportunities for unemployed people in their local communities. In 2007-08, there will be 64,000 Work for the Dole places and 16,500 Full Time Work for the Dole places available for participants.
In December 2002, the Prime Minister announced an extension to the Work for the Dole programme specifically aimed at assisting communities seriously affected by drought. Drought Force activities allow local unemployed people to volunteer on drought-affected properties. These activities encourage people to remain in their community and support the local economy. Between December 2002 and March 2007, almost 600 Drought Force activities in regional areas across Australia have accommodated over 1,400 job seekers in Drought Force activities.
Disability Employment Network
Disability Employment Network members assist job seekers with a disability who have ongoing support needs by providing a range of assistance including training, job placement and on-the-job support. In 2005-06, Disability Employment Network services assisted over 55,000 people with disabilities.
Under Welfare to Work, a new uncapped stream of the Disability Employment Network was introduced from 1 July 2006. This stream provides guaranteed assistance to people with a disability who have a partial work capacity and an obligation to seek employment. This has increased the assistance available to Australians, including those in rural and remote areas.
Across Australia, 234 organisations provide Disability Employment Network services from around 750 sites.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) provides specialist employment assistance, combined with vocational rehabilitation, to help people with a disability, injury or health condition find and retain safe and sustainable employment in the open labour market. VRS assists job seekers to understand, compensate for and manage their injury or disability by building work capacity and/or developing new work strategies to avoid re-injury.
In 2005-06, VRS assisted over 44,000 people with disability or injury. From 1 July 2006, as part of the Welfare to Work package, an additional $280 million has been allocated for Vocational Rehabilitation Services over three years from July 2006. This will fund approximately 47,000 extra vocational rehabilitation services for eligible job seekers with part time participation requirements and part time work capacity.
CRS Australia is currently the sole provider of VRS through a national network of 176 outlets. In addition, from July 2007 a new network of 18 private organisations will be contracted for up to 30 per cent of the vocational rehabilitation services.
Job Placement, Employment and Training Programme
The Job Placement, Employment and Training (JPET) programme is a pre-employment programme which assists young people aged 15 to 21 who are homeless, at risk of being homeless and/or facing multiple non-vocational barriers. It helps by stabilising their circumstances in order to re-engage them in education or training, access employment assistance or enter employment.
Funding of $20.7 million will be provided for this programme in 2007-08, assisting around 14,000 young people.
Involvement in the JPET programme aims to help young people with:
- reconnecting with education or study;
- engaging with employment assistance;
- participating in programmes with a workforce participation focus;
- accessing specialist support services;
- stabilising accommodation; and
- increasing social connections and participation in the community.
JPET seeks to bridge the gap between short-term or crisis assistance and employment related assistance. Providers draw on and work collaboratively with existing community support services and networks in their local community to give young people the most appropriate support for their needs.
Green Corps — Young Australians for the Environment Programme
Green Corps is an Australian Government youth development and environmental training programme for people aged 17–20 years. Green Corps allows young people to volunteer their commitment to conserve, preserve and restore Australia's natural environment and cultural heritage.
In 2007-08, $25.4 million will be allocated to the programme.
Each Green Corps project involves ten young people taking part in a range of activities and experiences over a 26-week period. Participants receive an allowance and take part in projects mostly located in regional and remote areas of Australia.
Green Corps participants gain improved career and employment prospects through accredited training and personal development opportunities in areas such as leadership and teamwork. Participants are also provided with an opportunity to develop improved connections with the community.
Indigenous Employment Policy
The Indigenous Employment Policy (IEP) was implemented in July 1999 in recognition of the particular disadvantage of Indigenous Australians in the labour market and aims to generate more employment opportunities for Australia's Indigenous people.
The major components of the IEP include the Structured Training and Employment Projects, the Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project, Wage Assistance, the National Cadetship Project, the Indigenous Small Business Fund and Indigenous Community Volunteers.
Emerging Indigenous Entrepreneurs Strategy
In regional areas where employment opportunities are limited, a strategy worth $4.5 million over four years from 2004-05 will encourage and empower potential Indigenous entrepreneurs toward self employment and small business opportunities. The Emerging Indigenous Entrepreneurs Strategy will link emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs with private sector intermediaries who have financial expertise and provide financial literacy training to community members seeking to start a business.