MEMBER for Leichhardt Warren Entsch says the Turnbull Government is getting young Australians ready and able to join the workforce through the innovative Youth Jobs PaTH programme.
With the tender process to deliver the stage 1 of the programme (the delivery of pre-employment training for young unemployed Australians) launched late last week, local employers and other organisations can now lodge expressions of interest to deliver training that will help young people into jobs.
Youth Jobs PaTH (Prepare-Trial-Hire) will help will increase young people’s job prospects by making sure they are better prepared for the workplace and encouraging more businesses to open their door to them.
The three-step Youth Jobs PaTH programme is a key component of the $840 million Youth Employment Package announced in the 2016 Budget. The programme will help young people become work ready through intensive pre-employment skills training, delivering the work-ready skills that many employers have said young Australians often lack.
Following the pre-employment training, up to 120,000 internships over four years will be available for young Australians to gain real work experience. Finally, an increased wage subsidy for employers who take on young job seekers will provide an incentive for local employers to give young people the opportunity to obtain gainful employment.
“The PaTH programme is about getting young Australians ready, giving them a go, and getting them into a job,” Mr Entsch said. “We have some of the highest youth unemployment on mainland Australia so we absolutely must try to get the most out of this program. I’m urging as many local youth and businesses to get involved as possible.”
The Youth Jobs PaTH three flexible stages include;
• Employability skills training which will begin in April 2017 to help prepare young job seekers for the workplace. The training will help young people better understand what employers expect of them and give them the skills, attitudes and behaviours required to be successful in a job.
The Department of Employment is holding information sessions for potential applicants for the Employability Skills Training Panel via webinar on 7 November 2016. Applications close at 5pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 29 November 2016; for more information and how to apply call 1300 733 514 or visit: www.employment.gov.au/procurement
• Commencing in April 2017, up to 30,000 young job seekers each year will be eligible to undertake an internship placement of 4 to 12 weeks. The internships will be voluntary and provide incentives of $1,000 upfront to a business to host an intern and a $200 fortnightly payment to job seekers on top of their income support.
• From January 2017 a Youth Bonus wage subsidy of between $6,500 and $10,000 will be available to businesses who take on an eligible young person as an employee or apprentice.
“We’re determined that younger generations are not confined to a lifetime of welfare dependency,” Mr Entsch said. “However the first step is to make sure that they have the basic skills required to enter the workforce – a positive attitude, motivation, reliability and good personal presentation.
“The PaTH programme has been developed by listening to what young people and employers have told us they need. Young Australians want the opportunity to contribute to their communities but they also need the job-ready skills that employers demand – PaTH ticks both boxes.”
The 2016-17 Youth Employment Package follows the Government’s earlier $331 million investment in the Youth Employment Strategy, designed to help young people at increased risk of long-term unemployment improve their chances of finding and keeping a job.
These measures, combined with existing initiatives (including the Transition to Work service, Empowering YOUth Initiatives and ParentsNext), will put young job seekers on a positive pathway to finding and keeping a job, as we work towards growing our new economy.
For more information visit; https://www.employment.gov.au/path
