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What is Job Services Australia?
On 1 July 2009, the Australian Government has replaced previous employment services, such as Job Network, with a new tailored approach—Job Services Australia. The new services have been designed to help individuals obtain the skills they need to secure sustainable employment. Fundamentally, Job Services Australia will help boost employment participation and the productive capacity of the Australian workforce, address skills shortage areas and better meet the needs of employers.
Job Services Australia will:
- provides tailored assistance for job seekers
- provides early assistance to the most disadvantaged job seekers
- better meets the skills needs of employers
- enhances opportunities for work experience, including an improved Work for the Dole and Green Corps
- introduces a more work-like compliance system
- streamlines programs and processes to reduce the burden of administration and red tape, which will cut the costs for Job Services Australia providers.
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How does Job Services Australia work?
Job seekers make their first contact with Centrelink, who will use the Job Seeker Classification Instrument (and where necessary, a Job Capacity Assessment) to place job seekers into one of four streams based on their level of disadvantage.
- ‘Work ready’ job seekers (stream 1) will be assisted with a résumé, job search, a skills assessment and training.
- For job seekers whose pathway to employment may be longer (streams 2, 3 and 4) the focus is on helping people overcome personal and vocational barriers, obtain appropriate skills and move into sustainable employment.
Each job seeker will work with their Job Services Australia provider to develop an Employment Pathway Plan (EPP) that will take into account their needs, skills and employment goals and will identify the assistance required to secure sustainable employment or self-employment. They will participate in work experience, training or other activities agreed as part of their EPP.
Job seekers will be required to undertake participation activities as part of their EPP. Failure to participate, without reasonable excuse, will result in the loss of a day’s pay for each day missed under a new ‘no show, no pay’ policy. While the majority of job seekers do the right thing, the eight-week non-payment penalty will apply for job seekers who are deliberately and persistently non-compliant. Rather than automatic escalation in penalty after three failures, however, job seekers will now receive a Comprehensive Compliance Assessment to determine whether an eight-week non-payment penalty is appropriate. There will also be opportunities for job seekers to have the eight-week non-payment period lifted if they undertake intensive activities.
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How does Job Services Australia help job seekers?
Job Services Australia offers greater choice for job seekers. The Employment Pathway Plan (EPP) will allow job seekers and Job Services Australia providers to agree on the best combination of skills development, work experience and personal support to help the job seeker and the time frame for that assistance.
The Employment Pathway Fund (EPF) can be used for a broader range of training options, services, wage assistance and other practical support based on the job seeker’s individual needs and their barriers to employment.
Job seekers also have access to work experience, including through Work for the Dole and Green Corps. Job seekers also have access to training places to help develop skills in areas of labour market shortage.
The $41 million Innovation Fund will help job seekers experiencing significant disadvantage, including homeless and Indigenous job seekers and jobless families, by enabling Job Services Australia providers to develop innovative solutions to the problems job seekers face. The fund has been designed to encourage employment service providers to develop local and creative projects in partnership with training and community organisations and the private sector.
How does Job Services Australia help employers?
Job Services Australia aims to produce work-ready job seekers who have the skills that are in demand and meet the needs of employers. This will be achieved with an emphasis on training in key areas where skills are in demand and incentives for Job Services Australia providers to meet employer needs.
In addition to work experience, the government is providing additional training places through the Productivity Places Program to people who are unemployed or marginally attached to the labour market. These training places will be integrated with employment services.
To address labour shortages in particular industries and regions, employers, groups of employers, employer associations and unions have joined a panel to provide employment brokerage under the Employer Broker program. These employer brokers work with training organisations and Job Services Australia providers to skill up job seekers in the areas of greatest need.
How can people receive help from Job Services Australia?
In most cases job seekers will connect with Job Services Australia providers following a referral by Centrelink. The job seeker’s level of disadvantage will be assessed by the Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) or, where required, a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). Job seekers will be placed into one of four streams, based on their level of disadvantage. Services are demand driven. Servicing and funding increases from stream 1 to stream 4 and are dependent on the level of disadvantage of the job seeker
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What is a Job Services Australia provider?
A Job Services Australia provider is an organisation contracted to deliver Job Services Australia under the Employment Services Deed 2009–12. A wide range of Job Services Australia providers is required to meet the needs of job seekers and employers across Australia, including a mix of large, medium and small, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations that demonstrate the ability to deliver high-quality services.
How will Job Services Australia providers help job seekers?
Job Services Australia providers:
- help eligible job seekers, regardless of their level of disadvantage, by providing individually tailored assistance to develop pathways into sustainable employment
- build links with employers to understand and meet their skills and labour needs, including working with employers to identify job vacancies and match suitable candidates to those vacancies
- connect job seekers to appropriate skills development opportunities
- build links and work cooperatively with other stakeholders, including local community and health services, registered training organisations, state, territory and local government and other service providers.
Will Job Services Australia providers work with employers?
Job Services Australia providers will actively engage with employers in order to understand their needs and ensure that job seekers receive the assistance that will enable them to meet employer demand. Outcome Payments will be weighted to reflect the importance of Job Services Australia providers working with employers, and the performance management framework will also reward responsiveness to employer needs.
Who can receive assistance from Job Services Australia?
There are two main categories of job seekers who are eligible for stream services under Job Services Australia:
- Fully Eligible job seekers and
- Partially Eligible job seekers (also know as stream 1 (limited) job seekers).
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What is a Fully Eligible job seeker?
Fully Eligible job seekers are eligible for stream services (with eligibility for a particular stream dependent on their level of disadvantage as determined by the Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) or, where required, a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) (see below for more information).
Fully Eligible job seekers are:
- recipients of Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance (other), including parents and people with disability who have part-time participation requirements
- recipients of another form of qualifying government income support, such as Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment (Partnered or Single), who volunteer
- young people (those who are aged 15 to 20 years, not employed for more than 15 hours a week or in full-time education and not in receipt of income support)
- vulnerable young people who are full-time students (those who are aged 15 to 20 years who present in crisis and have at least one serious non-vocational barrier)—they are only eligible for stream 4 services, or
- Indigenous Australians participating in Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP).
In addition to the above:
- all persons who are not prohibited by law from working in Australia are eligible for services from Harvest Labour Service (HLS) providers
- people not on income support who may be ineligible for most employment services but who choose to participate in Drought Force activities (Drought Force Only participants) can be assisted to do so
- from time to time the Australia Government may deem groups of people eligible for Job Services Australia, for example, people in receipt of labour market adjustment packages.
What is a Partially Eligible or stream 1 (limited) job seeker?
Partially Eligible job seekers are those job seekers who register with Centrelink or register directly with a Job Services Australia provider, who are not Fully Eligible and who are not:
- full-time students
- working in paid employment for 15 hours or more per week and not on income support
- overseas visitors on working holiday visas or overseas students studying in Australia
- prohibited by law from working in Australia.
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What are stream services?
In most cases, a job seeker’s stream eligibility will be determined at their first contact with Centrelink. For those job seekers deemed Fully Eligible, Centrelink will run the Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) and, if required, refer the job seeker for a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). This will assist in determining the job seeker’s capacity to participate, any identified barriers and interventions and the appropriate stream services for the job seeker’s circumstances:
- Job seekers who are work ready will be referred to stream 1
- Job seekers with relatively moderate barriers to employment will be referred to stream 2
- Job seekers with relatively significant barriers to employment will be referred to stream 3
- Job seekers with severe barriers to employment will be referred to stream 4.
Each stream will have a work experience phase, although job seekers can participate in work experience activities at any time.
Services within each stream will be tailored to the individual needs of each job seeker. Irrespective of the stream Job Services Australia providers will:
- conduct an initial interview – Job Services Australia providers will assist the job seeker to prepare a resume and advise them about local labour market opportunities, job search methods and access to the training opportunities
- work with the job seeker to develop an Employment Pathway Plan (EPP)
- have regular face-to-face contact with the job seeker unless there are exceptional circumstances
- monitor the job seeker’s attendance at appointments and participation in activities such as education or training and work experience, as set out in a job seeker’s EPP.
Job Services Australia providers must also deliver the following to stream one job seekers, and may deliver to streams 2 to 4 job seekers if appropriate:
- a skills assessment —an assessment to determine what work or educational skills and experience a job seeker currently possesses, and to identify and develop strategies for the job seeker to obtain sustainable employment.
- Intensive Activity—these activities will be relevant to the individual job seeker and designed to improve their ability to get and keep a job. Intensive activities may include skills training, support overcoming barriers to employment, work experience, the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program, the Adult Migrant English Program, or training in job search techniques.
What is the Employment Pathway Fund?
The Employment Pathway Fund is a flexible pool of funding that is available for use by Job Services Australia providers to purchase assistance to address the vocational and non-vocational barriers of job seekers and to provide work experience activities.
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What is the Employment Pathway Plan?
The Employment Pathway Plan is a document setting out an individualised pathway to employment for each fully eligible job seeker. Job Services Australia providers will work with job seekers to create an Employment Pathway Plan (EPP) that is tailored to their individual needs. This plan sets out the services and training that will help them find and keep a job.
This may include help to:
- search for jobs
- access work experience opportunities
- gain new skills or qualifications
- overcome other barriers to employment.
What is the Job Seeker Classification Instrument?
The Job Seeker Classification Instrument or JSCI is the tool used by Centrelink, Job Services Australia and Job Capacity Assessment providers to measure job seekers’ relative levels of disadvantage, based on their expected difficulty in moving out of job seeking due to their personal circumstances, location and labour market skills.
What is a Job Capacity Assessment?
A Job Capacity Assessment or JCA refers to a holistic assessment of a Fully Eligible participant’s participation barriers and current work capacity, undertaken by a Job Capacity Assessor.
What is a Job Capacity Assessor?
A Job Capacity Assessor refers to a person, organisation or Australian Government agency contracted by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to conduct Job Capacity Assessments.
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What happens to the information Job Services Australia providers receive from job seekers?
Job Services Australia providers must keep all information confidential. They may share some information with government so that they can make sure their job seekers are receiving the appropriate level of support and services.
Job Services Australia providers will only disclose information to employers that relates to job opportunities. They will not tell them anything private or confidential about job seekers, unless the job seeker wants them to.
If a job seeker asks, the Job Services Australia provider will show them the information they hold about them.
What can job seekers do if they’re not happy with the service they receive?
If a job seeker feels they are not receiving the right help, they should first try to talk to their Job Services Australia provider. Job Services Australia providers will provide a feedback process which is fair and they will try to resolve any concerns.
If a job seeker is unable to do this, or they are still not happy, they can call the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' Customer Service Line on 1800 805 260 (free call).
Can you provide me with the contact details for my Job Services Australia provider?
Yes. You can find the address details of providers on Australian Job Search. Job seekers can also call the Customer Service Line on 1800 805 260 or visit Centrelink to find the contact details of Job Services Australia providers in your local area.
Can I access language services with my new Job Services Australia provider?
Yes, all providers can assist you in obtaining language services. If you have a question about Job Services Australia then call the Customer Service Line on 1800 805 260 and they will assist you with an interpreter.
Job Services Australia brochures and factsheets are also available in a range of languages on the Resources page.
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