Chapter 15. Employability Skills Training

Supporting Documents for this Chapter:

• Employability Skills Training Participant Fact Sheet

• Referral Cap Supporting Document and Temporary Exemption Request Formsign-in required (sign-in required)

Employability Skills Training (EST) Courses are available on a fee for service basis for TtW Participants. Providers must pay the EST Provider for each Participant Referral prior to the date the EST Course starts.

This Chapter outlines the requirements for TtW Providers regarding EST.

EST is a Complementary Program, administered by the Department, which TtW Providers may access to enhance work readiness of Participants. EST provides intensive pre‑employment training through 2 different blocks of targeted training:

• Training Block 1: workplace focused training

• Training Block 2: industry focused training.

Participants can undertake one or both courses, in any order.

Each EST Course runs for 75 hours, in a group setting, for:

• 25 hours per week over 3 consecutive weeks, or

• 15 hours per week over 5 consecutive weeks.

EST Courses can be delivered by EST Providers as Youth Courses, 25 Plus Courses or All Ages Courses. EST Courses can be delivered face-to-face, hybrid (a blend of face-to-face and online) or online.

TtW Providers may approach EST Providers to deliver specific or tailored EST Courses where there is an identified demand, for example for training in a particular location or industry.

Following their Training Block 1 or Training Block 2 Course, Participants will receive:

• an updated, professionally presented resume that identifies the Participant’s skills and experience, and

• an assessment that documents the industries and/or occupations that may be suitable for the Participant, and recommendations for next steps for the Participant to pursue employment and/or training opportunities.

Training Block 1 Courses help Participants develop job search and workplace skills.

Advanced job search skills training helps Participants gain the skills they need to look for work and a better understanding of the local labour market to help them find sustainable employment opportunities. Training Block 1 Courses help Participants demonstrate they have the attitude and approach to work that employers want.

Upon successful Completion of a Training Block 1 Course, Participants should be able to demonstrate the following Learning Outcomes:

• use a variety of techniques and strategies to seek and apply for work

• identify opportunities in the local labour market

• understand employer expectations

• prepare a résumé

• prepare a job application, including preparing a cover letter, addressing selection criteria, and preparing video applications as relevant to opportunities in the local labour market

• complete an online psychometric and aptitude screening test

• prepare for an in-person and virtual job interview

• manage their digital footprint

• apply conventions of online etiquette

• apply the 10 skill areas described in the Core Skills for Work Developmental Framework, available on the Department's website.

Training Block 2 Courses help EST Participants learn more about industries that are in demand or have emerging opportunities in their local labour market.

Upon successful Completion of a Training Block 2 Course, EST Participants should be able to demonstrate the following Learning Outcomes:

• use the most suitable techniques and strategies to seek and apply for work in the industries covered

• understand the duties, requirements, career prospects and employer expectations of the industries covered

• tailor a résumé to the industries covered

• tailor a job application to the industries covered, including preparing a cover letter, addressing selection criteria, and preparing video applications as relevant to the industries covered

• complete an online psychometric and/or aptitude screening test as relevant to the industries covered

• prepare for an in-person and virtual job interview for the industries covered

• use technology relevant to entry-level employment opportunities in the industries covered.

Training Block 2 Courses include Industry Awareness Experiences that aim to provide EST Participants with insight into the tasks and duties of an industry. Examples of Industry Awareness Experiences include guided tours of workplaces arranged with an Employer and Inbound Employer Visits.

There are 2 types of Training Block 2 Courses:

• Generalist Courses

• Specialist Courses.

Generalist Courses

Generalist Courses give EST Participants a taste of a few different industries to help them decide whether an industry is right for them.

The industries must have entry-level employment opportunities in the local labour market.

Generalist Courses may offer accredited training to support the Learning Outcomes.

Specialist Courses

Specialist Courses focus on a single industry to help EST Participants build industry-specific skills.

Specialist Courses may offer accredited training to support the Learning Outcomes and to support Participants to build skills relevant to the industry. Examples include a construction Work Health and Safety ‘white card’ or the Responsible Service of Alcohol unit of competency.

Specialist Courses are endorsed by a relevant industry association to ensure the training is suitably tailored to, and valued by, employers in the industry and to make course Participants more competitive for entry-level employment opportunities in the industry.

Key responsibilities and actions undertaken by Providers in relation to EST, which must be done in accordance with the Deed and these Guidelines, include:

• only referring Participants who meet the eligibility criteria to participate in an EST Course

• confirming if the Participant would benefit from EST

• confirming if the Participant is capable of undertaking the EST Course for the required hours per week and by the nominated delivery mode (see Referral to EST)

• if the session time of a course does not suit the Participant, then an alternative EST Course should be selected

• in referring an EST Eligible Participant to an EST Course, Providers must ensure the Participant is:

• made aware of their responsibilities, such as recording attendance

• made aware of, and consented to, the disclosure of relevant personal information to the EST Provider for the purpose of managing the Participant’s referral and participation in an EST Course

• ensuring that the EST Provider has all the information it requires to inform the required Risk Assessments for any Industry Awareness Experience (other than an Inbound Employer Visit), ensuring any personal information is only disclosed if the Participant has given consent

• paying the relevant EST Provider in accordance with these Guidelines

• providing Participants with or arranging any EST Course pre-requisites

• encouraging Participant attendance at the EST Course, noting that Participants must attend the Course within 7 Business Days of the EST Course starting (including the EST Course start date) or the EST Provider will end the Participant’s referral to the EST Course

• working collaboratively with EST Providers to support Participants to successfully complete the EST Course

• reviewing, on completion of the EST Course, the assessment provided by the EST Provider of the Participant’s Learning Outcomes and recommended next steps.

EST Providers will identify any Course pre-requisites in the Course description (for example a police check, personal protective equipment or a USB memory stick). Providers should action EST Provider requests to supply or arrange Course pre-requisites in a timely manner.

EST Providers will enter EST Course completion details in the Department's IT Systems. If a Participant is required to exit from the Activity early, the Provider must contact the EST Provider to request they action the exit.

If a Participant transfers to a new Provider, Provider Site or is Exited from Workforce Australia Services whilst participating in EST, they will be automatically Exited from the EST Course by the Department’s IT Systems, irrespective of how many hours the Participant has attended. Providers should notify EST Providers where this occurs.

(Deed Reference(s): Clauses 109.1, 109.3, 109.4, 109.6, 121)

To be eligible to participate in EST, a Participant must be aged 15 years or over.

Participants are eligible for referral to EST from their Commencement in Services.

There is no limit to the number of times a Participant can undertake EST if the Provider considers the Participant would benefit.

(Deed Reference(s): Clause 121)

Local EST Providers are expected to make suitable Courses available to meet the needs of Individuals in their contracted Employment Region, including those on Provider caseloads. Providers can search for and view scheduled EST Courses in the Department's IT Systems. Participants cannot be referred to an EST Course after the first day of the course schedule.

• System step — Providers view available EST Course places via the Activity Management component in the Department’s IT Systems.

• System step — Providers must make referrals to EST in the Department’s IT Systems.

EST Providers will contact Participants prior to EST Course Commencement to undertake a range of pre-engagement checks. If the EST Provider identifies concerns about the suitability of the EST Course for the Participant, the EST Provider will contact the TtW Provider to discuss the reasons. The EST Provider will reject the referral if, following discussion with the TtW Provider, the EST Provider determines the Participant would not benefit from or would not be able to participate in an EST Course.

A Participant with a full-time Mutual Obligation Requirement can choose to undertake an EST Course at either 25 hours per week over 3 consecutive weeks, or 15 hours per week over 5 consecutive weeks. A Participant with a part-time Mutual Obligation Requirement can also choose to undertake a 3 or 5 week course, however, if the weekly hours would exceed the Participant’s assessed work capacity, the TtW Provider must agree with the Participant that full-time participation in an EST Course is appropriate before referring the Participant.

(Deed Reference(s): Clause 121)

Providers which are also EST Providers (as their Own Organisation, Related Entity or Subcontractor) delivering Training Block 2 Courses in the same Employment Region are subject to a Referral Cap whereby no more than 50 per cent of total referrals to EST Training Block 2 Courses resulting in a commencement may be made to the Provider’s Own Organisation, a Related Entity or a Subcontractor. The Provider must not refer a Participant to an EST Course if to do so would exceed the Referral Cap.

The Referral Cap does not apply to Training Block 1 referrals, or where the only EST Providers in an Employment Region are the Provider’s Own Organisation, Related Entities or Subcontractors.

The Referral Cap applies at the Employment Region level and is measured on a cumulative basis over the Term of the Deed. Provider compliance will be reviewed by the Department on a regular basis.

Any Provider that has exceeded the Referral Cap in accordance with these Guidelines may have their capacity to make future EST referrals to their Own Organisation, Related Entity or Subcontractor restricted, which may include the Department issuing a direction to cease referrals to those entities. This restriction will remain in place until the Provider is below the Referral Cap, or unless otherwise advised by the Department.

Providers may request a temporary exemption from the Referral Cap or access further details about the application and review process by referring to the Referral Cap Supporting Document and Temporary Exemption Request Formsign-in required (sign-in required).

(Deed Reference(s): Clause 121.3)

• System step — Providers can use Qlik report wEREF03 to monitor their adherence to the Referral Cap.

Once the EST Course ends, the Participant and the TtW Provider will receive an assessment which sets out:

• progress made by the Participant

• the Participant’s performance against each of the Learning Outcomes of the EST Course

• any units of competency completed

• industries and/or occupations suitable for the Participant, taking into account the Participant’s goals, skills and the local labour market

• recommended next steps the Participant should take to pursue Employment and/or training opportunities based on the Participant’s goals, skills and the local labour market.

Note that if a Participant does not attend each day of the EST Course, the EST provider will complete the assessment to the extent possible given the Participant’s level of participation.

TtW Providers must pay the relevant course fee to the EST Provider on a fee-for-service basis of:

• up to $1,335 per Participant for each Training Block 1 Course

• up to $320.40 per Participant for each Training Block 2 Course (full course fee is $1,335, the remaining $1014.60 is subsidised directly to the EST Provider by the Department).

TtW Providers must pay the EST Provider the relevant course fee by the date advised by the EST Provider. The transfer of funds from TtW Provider to EST Provider happens outside of the Department’s IT Systems. TtW Providers must make their own arrangements with the EST Provider to facilitate payment. Participants must not pay for an EST Course.

The course fee paid is fully refundable if the EST Provider cancels the EST Course or finds the EST Course is not suitable for the Participant. The TtW Provider should ascertain from the EST Provider whether there are other circumstances in which any proportion of the fee paid will be refundable if the Participant does not attend.