Workforce Australia

Last updated

Workforce Australia
Formation1 July 2022;2 years ago (2022-07-01)
Parent organization
 Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Website workforceaustralia.gov.au
Formerly called
jobactive

Workforce Australia is an Australian Government-funded network of organisations (private and community, and originally also government) that are contracted by the Australian Government, through the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), to deliver employment services to unemployed job seekers on Government income support payments and employers. [1] [2]

Contents

Providers were initially selected for the network and allocated business through a competitive public tender process, with contract periods running for varying lengths of time determined by the Australian Government. There were over 1,000 sites across Australia delivering Job Services Australia.

To be eligible for support, people need to be in receipt of eligible income support payments, such as Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance, the Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment.

History

The Keating government's Employment Services Act 1994 established the Employment Service Regulatory Agency (ESRA). According to policy document "Working Nation", ESRA was created to "promote the development of community and private sector case managers and to ensure fair competition between the CES and other agencies." However, the new act created what would later be known as Employment National to take the role here allocated to the CES (Commonwealth Employment Service). At this time the CES delivered almost all federally funded employment services, however over time more and more funding was allocated to ESRA to put out to tender.

The new Howard government elected in 1996 continued Keating's structural reforms. On April 1, 1998, the CES was dissolved, and its remaining employment services were vested with ESRA. Simultaneously, ESRA became known as the Job Network. The delivery of employment services was tendered out to Job Agencies whose primary responsibility was to assist people into work. Most of these Job Agencies were owned by private or charity organisations, however Employment National was a large one owned by the federal government. Employment National was dissolved in 2003, its work given to other Job Agencies.

In 2009, the Rudd government renamed Job Network as Job Services Australia.

The services provided by Job Services Australia differed according to the level of disadvantage of the job seeker, circumstances or the allowance they were receiving from Centrelink. Services include:

The Abbott government renamed the network jobactive on 1 July 2015.

Employment Service Providers interface with the network through ESSWeb, the Employment Services System. [3]

Workforce Australia and New Employment Services Model (NESM)

The New Employment Services Model replaced the previous jobactive network on 1 July 2022. Under the system, significant emphasis is placed on moving digitally literate job seekers away from "Employment Service Providers" towards a web based self-service obligations scheme. [4] In addition to these changes, the controversial "Job Search Effort" mutual obligations work test, in which job seekers were required to apply for 20 jobs a month, [5] was replaced with the "Points Based Activation System". [6] This new system requires most job seekers to achieve 100 points a month, with a single job application counting for 5 points. Functionally this still requires one to apply for 20 jobs a month, except now other activities (like full time study) can also contribute to a job seeker's mutual obligations. [7]

Contracts and performance ratings

Job Services Australia agencies were rated by DEEWR every six months (or milestone) on performance, based on placing clients into work and keeping them employed for 13 and/or 26 weeks. A Star Rating system was used, ranging from one to five stars; five stars indicate the highest level of performance.

The ratings were calculated using a regression model that looked at the number of jobs or outcomes that a site achieved. As the details of the model have not been released, agencies were often unsure what their next rating will be.

Providers who won Workforce Australia contracts

Provider [8] Value (million)
Serendipity (WA) Pty Ltd (also known as APM)$334.9m
Workskil Australia Ltd.$266.4m
AtWork Australia Pty Ltd$226.6m
The Trustee for The Salvation Army (Victoria) Property Trust$190.7m
MAX Solutions Pty Ltd$147.7m
Enterprise & Training Company Limited$128.3m
Karingal St Laurence Limited (Matchworks)$127.4m
Job Futures Ltd$123.9m
WISE Employment Ltd$123.6m
SYC Ltd$120.4m
Asuria People Services Pty Limited$115.9m
RNTT Pty Ltd (Jobs Statewide)$114m
Teldraw Pty. Limited (Global Skills)$83.3m
Tursa Employment & Training Limited$81.9m
Sureway Employment and Training Pty Ltd$80.8m
Sarina Russo Job Access (Australia) PTY. LTD.$76.7m
Joblink Plus Limited$75.6m
AMES Australia$74.8m
Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd$68.3m
CVGT Australia Limited$67.8m
Inner Northern Group Training Limited$65.6m
VERTO Ltd$59.1m
MTC Australia Limited$50m
On-Q Human Resources Limited$48.1m
Workways Australia Limited$43.5m
BEST Employment Limited$39.2m
MADEC Australia$37.5m
The Trustee for Designer Life (Queensland) Trust$37.3m
Family Services Illawarra Limited$32.9m
Impact Services Pty Ltd$32m
MEGT (Australia) Ltd$30.5m
Mareeba Shire Job Training Assoc Inc$26.5m
Westgate Community Initiatives Group Ltd.$26.4m
AimBig Employment Pty Ltd$21.7m
Workskills Incorporated$20.1m
Jobs Australia Enterprises Ltd$15.1m
Individual Empowerment Network Pty Ltd$14m
Workpac Employment Services Pty Ltd$9.6m
Western District Employment Access Incorporated$8m
NSWALC Employment and Training Ltd$7.7m
Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation$4.6m
Training Alliance Group Australia Pty Ltd$3m
The Wirrpanda Foundation Limited$2.4m
Total (billion)$3.26b

Job agencies that also won training contracts under Workforce Australia

Providers can claim further funds by referring jobseekers to their own courses

Provider [9] Value (nillion)Program
Serendipity (WA) Pty Ltd (Also known as APM)$334.9mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist, CALD and Indigenous services
Serendipity (WA) Pty Ltd (Also known as APM)$66.9mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Workskil Australia Ltd.$266.4mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist and Ex-Offender services
Workskil Australia Ltd$1.0mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
MAX Solutions Pty Ltd$147.7mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist and Ex-Offender services
Max Solutions Pty Ltd$16.5mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Enterprise & Training Company Limited$128.4mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Enterprise & Training Company Limited$3.2mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Enterprise & Training Company Limited$3.2mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Karingal St Laurence Limited (Matchworks)$127.5mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Karingal St Laurence Limited$5.2mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Karingal St Laurence Limited$5.2mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
WISE Employment Ltd$123.7mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist, CALD and Ex-Offender services
Wise Employment Ltd$25.9mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
SYC Ltd$120.5mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
SYC Ltd$15.3mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
SYC Ltd$15.3mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
RNTT Pty Ltd (Jobs Statewide)$114.1mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
RNTT Pty Ltd$23.7mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
RNTT Pty Ltd$0.65mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Teldraw Pty. Limited (Global Skills)$83.4mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist and Ex-Offender services
Teldraw Pty Limited$0.44mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Sureway Employment and Training Pty Ltd$80.8mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Sureway Employment and Training Pty Ltd$1.1mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Sarina Russo Job Access (Australia) PTY. LTD.$76.7mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist, CALD and Refugee services
Sarina Russo Schools Australia Pty Ltd$36.2mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Sarina Russo Schools Australia Pty Ltd$2.5mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Joblink Plus Limited$75.7mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist, Ex-Offender and Indigenous services
Joblink Plus Limited$10.7mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd$68.3mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd$19.8mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd$1.1mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Inner Northern Group Training Limited$65.7mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Inner Northern Group Training Limited$14.9mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Inner Northern Group Training Limited$1.1mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
MTC Australia Limited$50.1mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
MTC Australia Limited$24.5mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
MTC Australia Limited$0.45mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
The Trustee for Designer Life (Queensland) Trust$37.3mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
The Trustee for Designer Life (Queensland) Trust$2.0mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Jobs Australia Enterprises Ltd$15.2mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Jobs Australia Enterprises Ltd$0.21mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Western District Employment Access Incorporated$8.1mWorkforce Australia Licence(s) to deliver Generalist services
Western District Employment Access Inc.$7.3mEmployability Skills Training Deed 2022-2027
Western District Employment Access Incorporated$0.19mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Workskil Australia Ltd$1.0mCareer Transition Assistance Deed 2022-27
Total (billion)$2.23b

The peak industry bodies for jobactive members are the National Employment Services Association (NESA) for the for-profit sector, and Jobs Australia, which represents the not-for-profit sector. These bodies represent the needs and wishes of the employment services sector to the Australian Government.

Professional development within the industry was provided by organisations including NESA and others such as Diversity@Work, Duality, Job Services Central and Work Savvy Parents to ensure staff were up to date with policies and procedures.[ needs update ].

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References

  1. ↑ "Former Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations". deewr.gov.au.
  2. ↑ "Job Services Australia Provider Performance – Star Ratings". Australian Government Employment. Australian Government. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Digital Identity for Employment Services Providers". 8 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 Laura Tingle, (5 February 2000), Church and State: making a job of it, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, p. 13. Retrieved 17 April 2013
  5. ↑ "A new points-based system is replacing Jobactive. How will it affect thousands of job seekers?". ABC News. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Points Based Activation System (PBAS) for Workforce Australia". Department of Education, Skills and Employment. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "New Employment Services Trial (NEST) Points Based Activation System". Department of Education, Skills and Employment. 19 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Workforce Australia job agencies rake in millions more from training contracts". TheGuardian.com . 26 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Workforce Australia job agencies rake in millions more from training contracts". TheGuardian.com . 26 July 2022.
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