The Federal Government has released its first issues paper on Australia’s employment services system reform beyond June 2015.

The issues paper continues the submissions on the reform following the consultation period that saw individuals and organisations contribute to helping the government in developing employment services beyond 2015.

The following is a summary of some of the major themes emerging from the consultation process.

Meeting the needs of job seekers

  • Review the Job Seeker Classification Instrument so streaming becomes more accurate, and simplify the reassessment process.
  • Intervene early so that young people have timely career development advice and make seamless school to work transitions.
  • Train provider staff to work with particular cohorts of job seekers – eg those with mental health issues; Culturally and Linguistically Diverse.
  • Focus more on placing job seekers into long term jobs.
  • Improve on-the-job post-placement support to achieve better outcomes for both job seekers and employers.
  • Increase investment in pre-employment and personal development programs.
  • Encourage career development, not just holding down a job.
  • Ensure training is directed to actual jobs.
  • Ensure that job referrals match the job seeker’s skill set and personal circumstances.

Working in partnership with employers

  • Make employers central to the employment services system.
  • Providers need better understanding of employer needs.
  • Target job seeker training on the needs of the jobs market and employers.
  • Have one point of contact between employment services and local employers, and one point of contact between employment services and large national employers.
  • Retain wage subsidies.
  • Increase promotion of employment services to employers and peak industry bodies, supported by high quality servicing of employers.
  • Ensure providers screen job candidates so that only suitable, motivated candidates go to interview.
  • Ensure strong links between providers and existing regional economic development planning structure (Regional Development Australia network).

Continuing to cut red tape

  • Make the contract requirements and minimum standards easier to understand.
  • Ensure that DHS and DEEWR have common policies and apply them in the same way regarding requirements/compliance.
  • Simplify/redesign the Employment Services System (ESS) IT system.
  • Simplify the current claims system (by, for example, reducing the number of claim points).
  • Reduce the outcome validation burden by paying outcomes if job seekers are off-benefit and placements are lodged within ESS.
  • Target program assurance on providers with poor records.

Other areas for consideration

  • Use modern technologies, particularly social media and mobile devices, to promote employment services, and for feedback from job seekers, employers and other services.
  • Utilise social media for outreach and engagement purposes.
  • Use social media and connection via video conferencing to increase servicing and broaden the options for isolated job seekers.
  • Provide financial support for relocation and for job seekers settling into receiving local communities.
  • Introduce incentives for collaboration, innovation and information sharing.

 

The full issues paper can be found here

http://foi.deewr.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/2015_issues_paper_-_final_0.pdf