Additional Training Places Available to 30 June 2009

Additional Training Places Available to 30 June 2009 - 17 Nov 2008

In September and October 2008, the Australian Government announced the release of additional training place for job seekers as part of the Productivity Places Program. Information on how and when these places will be allocated is detailed below.

Additional 56 000 places – Announced 14 October 2008

On 14 October the Australian Government announced the release of an additional 56,000 places for job seekers as part of the Productivity Places Program. The additional 56,000 places will be allocated as follows:

  • 26,000 places for Certificate II qualifications;
  • 20,000 places for Certificate III qualifications (20,000 places, including 10,000 as Structural Adjustment Places); and
  • 10,000 places for Certificate IV qualifications.

DEEWR will manage the allocation of the 56,000 additional training places to 30 June 2009. Of these places, 46,000 will be allocated via the Program Information Management System (PIMS). To ensure the 46,000 places are targeted to those in most need, they will be available to a smaller cohort via referral from Employment Service Providers, Access Providers and Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) participants to approved Registered Training Organisations.

To make sure these training places remain available to 30 June 2009, they will be allocated via PIMS on a monthly basis.

The remaining 10,000 places, which are Structural Adjustment Places, are being made available to support displaced workers in the automotive and manufacturing industries as part of structural adjustment processes.  These workers will be eligible for significant retraining opportunities to meet skills in demand in growing sectors of the economy.  The allocation of these places will be managed by the Department following requests from employers or employee representatives of displaced workers.

Additional 15,000 places – Announced 10 September 2008

The additional 56,000 training places announced on 14 October 2008 are in addition to the 15,000 additional training places at the Certificate III level announced in September 2008.

Of the 15,000 additional places at the Certificate III level announced in September 2008:

  • 4,500 places have already been allocated (in September, October and November);
  • 1,500 places will be allocated by the Commonwealth in December 2008; and
  • the remaining 9,000 places for the period 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2009 will be allocated by the state and territory governments.

To ensure these places are targeted to those in most need, they are being made available to a smaller cohort via referral from Employment Service Providers, Access Providers and Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) participants to approved Registered Training Organisations.

To make sure training places remain available to 30 June 2009, the training places will be allocated via PIMS on a monthly basis by State and Territory, based on each State and Territories percentage of working age population.