The aim of the Access Program is to support vulnerable job seekers facing barriers to skilled employment to overcome those barriers and gain the necessary skills to find and keep an apprenticeship or other skilled employment or further education or training.

The Access Program should only be presented as an option for those eligible young people who have already decided to leave school and the option of participating in the Access Program must not be a factor in their decision to leave school.

About The Australian Apprenticeships Access Program (the Access Program)

To be eligible for assistance under the Access Program, participants must be of working age (15* to 64 years) and meet at least one criterion from each of the following three categories

Category 1 – Residency

A participant must be:

• an Australian citizen,
• the holder of a permanent Australian visa, or
• the holder of a New Zealand passport who has been resident in Australia for at least six months prior to  commencing the pre-vocational training course [see Note 1].

Evidence of residency/citizenship status is required, for example, a passport, naturalisation certificate, or appropriate visa.

*Subject to the National Youth Participation Requirement which makes participation in education, training or employment compulsory for all young people until they turn 17 years of age, which includes:

• a mandatory requirement for all young people to participate in schooling (meaning in school or an approved equivalent) until they complete Year 10, and
• a mandatory requirement for young people who have completed Year 10 to participate full-time in education, training or employment, or a combination of these activities, until age 17.

Category 2 - Registration

A participant must be one of the following:

• a registered job seeker,
• referred by a Youth Connections provider [see Note 3], a Disability Employment Services (DES)provider or a  Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) officer,
• eligible for Youth Allowance.

Category 3 - Personal Circumstances

A participant must be at least one of the following:

• a person who left school prior to the completion of Year 12, [see Note 2]
• a person who is referred by a Youth Connections provider, [see Note 3]
• an ‘at risk’ Year 12 school leaver, [see Note 4] 
• an Indigenous Australian,
• an Australian born descendent of a South Sea Islander, [see Note 5]
• a person who has been registered with Centrelink or Job Services Australia as unemployed for  three months or more at the commencement of the pre-vocational training course,
• a self-disclosed ex-offender, [see Exclusions and Clarifications]
• a homeless person,
• a person with disability, [see Note 6]
• a sole parent or sole guardian receiving a Parenting Payment (Single),
• a person aged 45 to 64 years at the commencement of the pre-vocational training course,
• a person who has been referred during or after undertaking the DEEWR-funded Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program.

Exclusions and Clarifications

• Secondary school students are not eligible to participate in the Access Program,
• Participants may be eligible for AUSTUDY or ABSTUDY during the training component of the Program. ABSTUDY clients who are already studying full-time are not eligible to participate in the Access Program. If they wish to participate in the Access Program, they should discuss their circumstances with Centrelink,
• A job seeker may only participate in the Access Program once within a 12 month period of commencing a  previous Access Program pre-vocational training course, even if they did not achieve a successful outcome. In exceptional circumstances, DEEWR may approve a further commencement. Approval must be sought prior to accepting the job seeker into the Access Program,
• Persons who are serving a sentence of imprisonment are ineligible for the Access Program, regardless of meeting other eligibility criteria. Persons who are serving a sentence include those in detention on a full-time or part-time basis in a correctional facility or jail, remand centre, pre-release centre, periodic detention centre or compulsory drug treatment centre. Persons released on parole or other community early or temporary release schemes (such as home detention or work release programs) are also ineligible for the Access Program. A person who commences the Access Program but subsequently becomes a person who is serving a sentence of imprisonment is ineligible to continue in the Program,
• A job seeker who has been assessed as eligible to participate in the Access Program is able to continue to participate regardless of a subsequent change in eligibility, with the exception of a participant who is convicted to serve a sentence of imprisonment as set out in the dot point above.

Note:

1. Australian States and Territories place different requirements on who is able to register for an Australian Apprenticeship. Job seekers who are New Zealanders or holders of a permanent Australian visa, and are eligible for the Access Program, may not meet the requirements for registering for an Australian Apprenticeship in their State or Territory until they have achieved permanent residency status or Australian Citizenship. Where this may be an issue, prior to accepting the job seeker into the Access Program, the Provider must seek confirmation from the local Australian Apprenticeships Centre that the job seeker will be eligible to enter an Australian Apprenticeship. A job seeker who is not eligible to enter an Australian Apprenticeship, is not eligible to participate in the Access Program.

2. An early school leaver, i.e. a person who leaves school at less than the State/Territory school leaving age, will need to provide evidence of the exemption from attending school from the appropriate State/Territory government authority before being accepted into the Access Program.

3. A Youth Connections referred participant does not need to be a registered job seeker. Participants who receive income support and are not registered job seekers must advise Centrelink that they have been accepted into the Access Program. Participants who receive income support and who are registered with a JSA provider must discuss and agree on their participation in the Access program with their provider when they are developing their Employment Pathway Plan. 

4. A Year 12 school leaver is considered ‘at risk’ of becoming long-term unemployed if they have a lack of work experience, skill base and limited options to access further education or training. It is at the discretion of Centrelink or a JSA provider to determine if a Year 12 school leaver meets this criterion.  This category applies to Year 12 school leavers for up to 12 months after they complete Year 12.

5. A descendent of an Australian born South Sea Islander is defined as an Australian born descendant of South Sea Islanders brought forcibly into Australia in the 19th century to work in the Queensland and New South Wales sugar industries.

6. Participants with disability must provide evidence of the disability in the form of one of the following:

• being in receipt of a current Disability Support Pension,
• a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner,
• a statement from the referring agency or identifying organisation, (e.g. their DES provider), or
• a Statutory Declaration that they have a disability, impairment or long term medical condition.

Disability may be: psychological, intellectual, sensory or physical; or a learning impairment. The Access Program may not be appropriate for all potential participants with disability.

For more information contact your Centrelink office or your Job Services Australia provider.

The inclusion of a minimum employment period is intended to provide a reasonable basis of prioritising potential Energy Efficient Homes Package clients.

What training will you receive?

The training is delivered by registered training organisations and is accredited, linked to an Australian Apprenticeship pathway and recognised by employers nationally. It provides basic skills for a particular industry and general work practices such as communication, time management, organisational skills, teamwork and occupational health and safety.

How do you access the Program?

You can find out about Access Program courses by enquiring at Centrelink or your Job Services Australia or DES provider or by responding to advertisements placed by Access Program Providers.

If you are an early school leaver and are registered with a Youth Connections, or CDEP Provider, your Provider can also refer you to this Program.

To undertake an Access Program course you must:

• be confirmed as eligible by Centrelink, a Job Services Australia provider, a DES provider or be referred by a Youth Connections or CDEP provider,
• be accepted by an approved Access Program provider.

Where do you go for information on the Access Program?

• Ask your Centrelink Customer Service Officer or your Job Services Australia provider for details of local Access Program courses.
• Call the Access Program Contact Centre on 13 38 73 to get details of your nearest service provider for information about local courses.