9th Annual Meeting
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE:
A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR
JOBS AND GROWTH
In co-operation with the EU Presidency, Irish Government and Pobal
26-27 March 2013, Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland
PLENARY SESSION II: LOCAL EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES IN RURAL AREAS
Sally Sinclair
CEO, National Employment Services Association, Australia
Regional, Rural and
Remote Employment
Strategies – the Australian
Experience
Presented by:
Sally Sinclair, CEO
National Employment Services
Association
27 March 2013
OECD LEED 9th Annual Meeting - Dublin
NESA is the voice of the Australian
employment services industry

NESA is an industry association and the peak body for the
Australian employment and related services industry

Australia has a fully outsourced employment services
delivery model

NESA represents and advocates on behalf of contracted
providers to ensure that we achieve:


Continuous improvement to design, delivery and
performance of employment services for stakeholders,
and
A sustainable and vibrant industry.
Key Elements of Policies & Programs

Personalised, individualised services

Targeted resources – geographical areas, target groups,
specific eligibility, demand-led initiatives

Partnerships & collaboration – wrap around servicing,
co-location, case co-ordination

Outcomes focus

Social inclusion

Matching skills and labour demand and supply

Communication – government websites, use of
intermediaries and employment services provider networks
Responsive Policy & Service Framework
The contracting arrangements of Australian employment services
support a dynamic and responsive policy environment. The purchaser
maintains the right to vary DEEDs and supporting guidelines to include
new initiatives and respond to changing circumstance and priorities
throughout the contract period.
Complementary Programmes:
Targeted Industry Support
 Structural Adjustment Packages
Cohort Focused Initiatives
 Mature Age Workers
 Early school leavers
 Long term unemployed – Wage Connect Subsidy Program
 Indigenous Employment Program
Responsive Policy & Service Framework
Geographically Targeted Initiatives
 Local Connections to Work
 Priority Employment Areas
o Local Employment Coordinators
o Jobs and Skills Expos
 Disaster Response Packages
 Connecting People with Jobs
 Regional Development Authorities
o Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Coordinators
Skills Focused Initiatives
 Apprenticeship Kick Start Initiative
Geographic
Remoteness
at a Glance
Geographic
Remoteness
at a Glance
Activation
Access to employment assistance
 All unemployed and significantly underemployed people of working
age are eligible to receive assistance through Australian Employment
Services.
Early engagement
 All new income support claimants are connected to employment
services on first contact with Centrelink

Appointment with employment services providers scheduled for a
time within 2 working days through an electronic diary

Granting of income support subject to commencement with
employment services provider

Additional direct registration pathways for voluntary (non activity
tested) job seekers
Activation – Mutual Obligation
Australia has strong mutual obligation policies that promote the
responsibilities of job seekers in return for unemployment benefits
Foundation Activity and participation requirements:
 Be actively looking for paid work and/or be participating in another
approved activity, and
 Be willing to take any suitable job that you are capable of doing,
including full-time, part-time and casual jobs.
Requirements are recorded in an Employment Pathway Plan
 Job search requirements
 Referrals to employment services providers
 Paid work
 Referrals to specialist assistance, and
 Other approved activities that job seekers will undertake to improve
their chances of finding work.
Australian Employment Services Framework
Commonwealth Department of
Education, Employment & Workplace Relations
Policy & Program Administration, Development & Implementation
Purchasing & Contract Management
Centrelink
Social
Security
Employment
Services
Gateway
Job Seeker
Compliance
Framework
Complementary
Programs
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme,
Harvest Labour Services,
Experience +
Youth Connections,
Language, Literacy & Numeracy,
Indigenous Employment Programs
National Employment Services Data Base
National Performance Assessment Framework
Long Term Unemployment Risk Assessment
Job Seeker Classification Index Factors
More intensive assistance for those at relatively
more risk
Tailored Service Provision
Tailored Service Provision
Flexible, Tailored Service Model
enables integrated wrap around
service assistance to address
individual needs and local
circumstances
•Job Search Support
• Employer Services
•Job Search Facilities
• Skills Assessment
Job
Placement
Services
Individual
Case
Management
Work
Experience
• Employment Pathway
Plan
•Community Linkages
•Access to resources to
support interventions
•Post Placement Support
•Range of Activities
•Work for the Dole
•Training
•Volunteering
•Work Trials
Complementary Programs
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, Harvest Labour Services, Experience +, National Green
Jobs Corps, Youth Connections, Language, Literacy & Numeracy, Indigenous Employment
Programs
Employment Pathway Fund
Flexible pool of funding to purchase assistance to help job seekers get
and keep a job, such as:







Vocational & Employability Skills Training
Work related clothing and safety equipment
Licences & certificates
Short term travel costs
Relocation costs to commence employment
Other personal support services, including dental, health and
housing assistance
Employer Assistance – Wage subsidies, on-the-job training and
mentoring for job seekers.
EPF credits are attached to job seeker commencement but not to the job
seeker.
A notional bank and reimbursement model
Performance Framework
3 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
o KPI 1 – Efficiency
o KPI 2 – Effectiveness
o KPI 3 - Quality Assurance Framework
 KPIs 1&2 assessed on the basis of performance measures and weightings = Star
Ratings
 KPI 3 ensures providers deliver the services contracted and that job seekers
receive quality services
Star Ratings are used by:
 job seekers to assess the comparative performance of providers in their local area
 providers to measure their contractual performance
 DEEWR to measure performance and allocate business share to providers
 Statistical regression analysis used to allow comparison of provider performances
across Australia
o Job seeker characteristics
o Labour market characteristics
 Period of performance assessment six monthly milestone periods that conclude at
the end of June and December

New Remote Model
New Remote Model
Key features of the Remote Jobs and Communities Program:

Remote Employment and Participation Activities

Individualised, tailored assistance

Participation Account
o

Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps (Youth Corps)
o



Funding to address vocational and non-vocational barriers
Tailored mentoring and training support
Community Action Plan (CAP)
o
Employment, economic and community development goals
o
Local stakeholder partnerships
Workforce Development Strategy
o
Regionally focused and demand-led strategies
o
Employer collaboration to address skills and labour shortages
Community Development Fund (CDF)
o
Initiatives to build community capacity
Overview of Map of 59 Remote Regions
OVERVIEW MAP OF 59 REMOTE REGIONS
National Broadband Network – Future
Strategies
The National Broadband Network will:

Provide high-speed broadband access to all Australian homes and
businesses through a mix of three technologies:
o
Optic fibre
o
Fixed wireless
o
Next generation satellite

93% of Australian homes, schools and businesses will have access
through optic fibre

Optic fibre is capable of providing broadband speeds of up to one
gigabyte per second

All Australian homes and businesses to be connected to national
broadband by the end of the10 year roll out
Some Resources
Some Resources

Department of Education, Employment & Workplace
Relations
http://deewr.gov.au/

Priority Areas
http://deewr.gov.au/priority-employment-area-initiative

Demography and Population
http://www.sarrahtraining.com.au/site/index.cfm?display=143626

Families in regional, rural and remote Australia
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/factssheets/2011/fs201103.html
Contact
Details
Contact
Details
NESA
Level 8, 20-22 Albert Road
South Melbourne, VIC 3205
Australia
Phone: +613 9624 2300
Email: nesa@nesa.com.au
Website: www.nesa.com.au