Western Australia

National Youth Participation Requirement

• Western Australia requires young people to participate until the end of their 17th year.  The Acts Amendment (Higher School Leaving Age and Related Provisions) Act 2005 became effective on 1 January 2006, increasing the school leaving age from 15 to 16 years of age. A further increase from age 16 until the end of the year in which a student turns 17 years of age became effective on 1 January 2008.
  
• This legislation does not dictate that 16 and 17 year old students must stay at school, but rather requires them to participate in education, training and approved employment or combinations of these options until the end of the year in which they turn 17.
  
• An outcome of this initiative has been significant improvements in the levels of participation by this cohort, from approximately 87% prior to the introduction of the legislation in 2006 to just under 96% in 2010.
  
• Participation Coordinators employed by the Western Australian Department of Training and Workforce Development are located in district education offices. Participation Coordinators work across the State with responsibility for primarily supporting students in their 16th and 17th years to participate full-time in approved options.

Information about the requirements of young people in Western Australia can be found at
Department of Education and Training.

Training Entitlement for 15-24 Year Olds

• Western Australia implemented the Compact with Young Australians on 1 July 2009 for 15 - 19 year olds and for 15 - 24 year olds from 1 January 2010.
  
• Publicly-funded registered training organisations are required to give priority access to a training place for anyone eligible under the Compact, subject to availability of training places and courses.
  
• The Compact is complemented by the Commonwealth National Partnership Agreement for Productivity Places Program and Western Australia’s Course Fee Exemption for the Unemployed initiative.
  
• All publicly-funded qualifications delivered by registered training organisations in Western Australia are course fee exempt for eligible unemployed people across all Australian Qualification Framework levels and industry areas. This Course Fee Exemption for the Unemployed initiative provides further incentive for a young Australian to develop skills essential for entry into the workforce or to achieve a higher level qualification.
  
• The Course Fee Exemption for the Unemployed initiative, which commenced on 1 July 2009, enables eligible unemployed people to undertake one publicly-funded training qualification, with the course fee exemption applying for up to twelve months from the commencement of the qualification. This is subject to the availability of training places, and applicants demonstrating their eligibility, meeting training provider application processes and entrance requirements for the qualifications and, where applicable, selection criteria.
  
• The Western Australia Department of Training and Workforce Development has established networks with key stakeholders, including the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Western Australia Department of Education, Centrelink, Job Services Australia, Youth Connections, School/Industry/Community Partnership Brokers, Career Centre, Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre and community-based Workforce Development Centres to ensure a streamlined approach to implementation of the above initiatives.