CDEP

CDEP

CDEP Work Experience Subsidy (CWES)

From 1 July 2009, the Department is implementing a program that will provide wage subsidies to employers who offer paid work experience to new CDEP participants (on income support). 
The subsidy is linked with the CDEP Work Readiness services stream and will be funded through the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP).

Subsidy period

  • All CWES placements are for a minimum of 13 weeks and a maximum of 12 months from the date of placement.
  • Subsidy is payable for a minimum of 7.5 hours paid work experience per week to a maximum of 15 hours per week. This does not preclude employers from offering paid work experience in excess of 15 hours, however no subsidy is payable to the employer for work experience hours over 15 hours per week. 
  • Participants are entitled to a maximum of 12 months CWES in a three year period. 

Payment schedule

  • CWES payments are paid retrospectively to the employer
  • All CWES placements will be for a minimum of 13 weeks with the first payment becoming due to the employer after 13 weeks from commencement of the new CDEP participant. 

Participant Eligibility

To be eligible to attract the subsidy, the participant must be

  • Of Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander decent; identifies as Aboriginal/ and or Torres Strait Islander; and is accepted as such by the community in which he/ she lives or has lived;
  • Currently unemployed and registered as looking for work with a Job Services Australia provider.  In receipt of an eligible income support payment; and
  • Referred to an employer by a CDEP provider.

Continuing CDEP participants who are in receipt of CDEP wages are not eligible for CWES.

Position Eligibility

A paid work experience participant will be placed with an employer under a normal employer/ employee relationship, that is, the paid work experience participant must be employed under a legal industrial arrangement, made under Commonwealth, State or Territory law (eg, an Award or Collective Agreement).

Employer Eligibility

    • Employers in the private, public or community sector who have an Australian Business Number (ABN) are eligible to apply for CWES.
    • Employers are responsible for all costs associated with the employment of a CWES participant including, relevant insurance, workers compensation, superannuation (where applicable), and the payment of wages as per the relevant legal industrial arrangement, made under Commonwealth, State or Territory law.
    • Where the CDEP provider offers a paid work experience placement to an eligible CWES participant in their own organisation, all eligibility requirements (participant, position and employer) must apply.

Applying for CWES:

    • Application form
    • Employers should submit the application form within 28 days of the job seeker commencing employment. 

Applications can be submitted to:

CDEP Work Experience Subsidy
Indigenous Employment Program Branch
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
GPO Box 9879
Canberra City   ACT   2601

Please note that before applying you will need the following information:

  • Trading Name or registered name and address
  • ABN
  • Full bank details, including branch, BSB and account numbers.
  • Details of a contact person for your business, including name, email and phone number.
  • Number of employees currently employed by you, and the number currently receiving CWES.
  • Details of the referring CDEP provider.
  • Details of the paid work experience participant, including their date of birth and Centrelink job seeker ID
  • The date they commenced their paid work experience placement with you, expected length of the work experience placement and the weekly hours of the placement.

CDEP Work Experience Subsidy (CWES) Downloads

 

Frequently Asked Questions

(  PDF 137KB |  RTF 80KB )

 

Further information

You can get further information from the Indigenous Employment Line on 1802 102