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Front matter and glossary
Disclaimer, version information, reading notes and defined terms from Part B: Transition to Work version 1.20.
Independent reference copy. Check the official source for current guidance.
Source details, coverage and attribution
Source record
Workforce Australia Guidelines, Part B: Transition to Work
Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Recorded version
- 1.20
- Effective
- 1 July 2026
- Publication location checked
- 28 September 2026
Independent web copy · not a Department publication. The recorded check is not a live check for newer Guidelines.
Check the official document and the applicable Deed, Work Orders, variations and Provider Portal instructions before acting.
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Source material: © Commonwealth of Australia. Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Workforce Australia Guidelines, Part B: Transition to Work, version 1.20, published 3 June 2026. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, subject to the exclusions in the DEWR copyright notice.
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Source: Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Workforce Australia Guidelines, Part B: Transition to Work, version 1.20, published 3 June 2026. © Commonwealth of Australia. Used under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), subject to the DEWR copyright exclusions. Official publication record: https://www.dewr.gov.au/workforce-australia/resources/workforce-australia-guidelines-part-b-transition-work. Recorded Word file: https://www.dewr.gov.au/download/13955/workforce-australia-guidelines-part-b-transition-work/43266/workforce-australia-guidelines-part-b-transition-work/DOCX. ServiceCite reformatted the Word document for web navigation and search; this is not an official DEWR publication. These Guidelines are not stand-alone: providers must use their executed Deed, Work Orders and variations. Provider Portal material is excluded.
Disclaimer
This Guideline is not a stand-alone document and does not contain the entirety of Provider obligations. It must be read in conjunction with the Workforce Australia - Transition to Work Deed 2022-2027 (the Deed), including any relevant Guidelines and reference material issued by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations under or in connection with the Deed.
This Guideline is not legal advice and the Commonwealth accepts no liability for any action purportedly taken in reliance upon it and assumes no responsibility for the delivery of the Services. This Guideline does not reduce the obligation of Providers to comply with their relevant legal obligations and, to the extent that this Guideline is inconsistent with obligations under the Privacy Act, Social Security Law, the WHS Laws or any other legislation or laws relevant to the respective jurisdictions in which Providers operate, the relevant legislation or laws will prevail.
Version History
Version 1.20 Published on: 3 June 2026 Effective from: 1 July 2026
In this version of the Guideline the following Chapters have been updated:
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Eligibility, Referral and Commencement
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Period of Service, Suspensions, Transfers and Exits
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Complementary and Excluded Programs
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Vacancies and Outcomes
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Employability Skills Training
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Local Jobs Program
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Skills for Education and Employment (SEE)
A full version history of this Guideline can be found on the Archived Guidelines page on the Provider Portal (sign-in required).
Contents
Guideline Interpretation and Glossary 3
Chapter 1. Eligibility, Referral and Commencement 7
Chapter 2. Job Seeker Assessments 20
Chapter 3. Period of Service, Suspensions, Transfers and Exits 24
Chapter 4. Employer and Participant Servicing 35
Chapter 5. Participant Requirements 44
Chapter 6. Complementary and Excluded Programs 50
Chapter 8. Vacancies and Outcomes 61
Chapter 8A. WorkFoundations 82
Chapter 10. Relocation Assistance 109
Chapter 11. Provider Payments 113
Chapter 12. Youth Advisory Sessions 116
Chapter 13. Activity Management 123
Chapter 14. Adult Migrant English Program 139
Chapter 15. Employability Skills Training 141
Chapter 16. Launch into Work 147
Chapter 17. Local Jobs Program 152
Chapter 19. Non-Government Programs 158
Chapter 20. Observational Work Experience 160
Chapter 22. Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) 166
Chapter 23. Voluntary Work 170
Chapter 24. Workforce Specialists 173
Guideline Interpretation and Glossary
Reading Notes
In this Guideline, ‘must’ means that compliance is mandatory and ‘should’ means that compliance represents best practice for Providers and is expected by the Department.
While reading this document, please note the following Icons and their meaning:
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System step — This icon represents 'System Steps' – information contained under this dot point will relate to usage of the Department’s IT Systems.
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Work health and safety — This icon represents 'Work, Health and Safety Steps' – information contained under this dot point will relate to matters of Work, Health and Safety.
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Documentary evidence — This icon represents 'Documentary Evidence' – information contained under this dot point will relate to matters of documentary evidence.
Glossary
All capitalised terms in this Guideline have the same meaning as in the Deed unless otherwise defined below.
'25 Plus Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged 25 years and older.
'Aggregator Model' means a WorkFoundations delivery model where a lead organisation or Employer (aggregator) coordinates Placements across multiple host employers, managing compliance and reporting on their behalf.
'Australian Apprenticeships Incentives System' (AAIS) is an Australian Government Program which provides employers with incentives to employ an apprentice, with incentive payments based on a skill shortages list of trades as well as a set of high priority occupations.
'All Ages Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged 15 years and older.
'Barrier' is a circumstance specific to a Participant that impedes their ability to obtain and maintain employment or engage in education.
'Capability Management Tool' (CMT) means the tool that Providers use to record, review and manage Vocational and Non-vocational Barriers that may be affecting a Participant’s capacity to secure and maintain employment.
'Continuous Supervision' means that a Participant must be with or alongside the Supervisor or within the Supervisor’s line of sight at all times while undertaking the Activity.
'Early School Leaver' means an individual who falls within the meaning given to the term 'early school leaver' by the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) and who has early school leaver participation requirements under the Social Security Law.
'Education Placement' means Education that meets the Outcome Requirements specified in the Deed (Annexure B1 Table 1 - Outcome Requirements) that is recorded or lodged on the Department's IT Systems by the Provider as being undertaken by the Participant in accordance with this Deed.
'Employer (Aggregator)' means, for the purposes of a WorkFoundations Placement, a type of Employer contracted to the Department to deliver WorkFoundations and is responsible for all aspects of delivery.** **
'Employer (Placement)' means, for the purposes of a WorkFoundations Placement, a type of Employer which will employ the Participant in a WorkFoundations Placement and work with the Employer (Aggregator) to meet the Employer (Aggregator)’s grant obligations.** **
'Family Member' means, in relation to a particular individual (such as a Participant or an Employer):
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any spouse, de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, including where any of these are adopted relations, of the particular individual;
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any child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, including where any of these are adopted relations, of the spouse or de facto partner of the particular individual; or
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any in-law of any individual referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) above, including any in-law of the particular individual.
'Full-Time Study' has the same meaning as the definition of full-time study (for tertiary students and secondary students) within the Social Security Guide.
'Generalist Course' means a Training Block 2 Course which provides EST Participants with training in relation to a mix of industries and occupations that address the needs of a broad range of Employers, in accordance with any Guidelines. A Generalist Course may be a Youth Course or 25 Plus Course.
'Goal Plan' is a tailored agreement between a Parent Pathways Provider and Participant that sets out the Participant’s short, medium and potentially longer term aims for themselves and where participation in Parent Pathways can help them. This may include personal, family, health and wellbeing, Education and/or Employment goals and includes the steps to be undertaken that will help the Participant reach their goals.
'Head Agreement' - The Head Agreement contains the general terms and conditions of the Wage Subsidy Agreement. The Wage Subsidy Agreement consists of both a Head Agreement and a separate Schedule for each new Wage Subsidy.
'Humanitarian Settlement Program' is a Department of Home affairs program which, supports humanitarian entrants and other eligible visa holders during their initial settlement.
'Inbound Employer Visit' means a visit by an Employer to the premises of an EST Provider for the purpose of providing Participants with an insight into the tasks and duties of a particular occupation or industry.
'Incident' means:
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an unplanned, accidental or deliberate event or happening resulting in personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building;
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an event or happening that had the potential to result in personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building;
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unacceptable or hostile behaviour that could result in legal proceedings or potential personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building.
'Learning Outcomes' means, in respect of an EST Course, the specifications of knowledge and skills expected to be attained by a Participant as a result of their participation in the EST Course.
'Mandatory Activity Requirement' means a requirement, specified in a Participant (Mutual Obligation)’s Job Plan, to undertake a Mandatory Activity.
'Manual Claim' means an Outcome claim made by the Provider in exceptional circumstances, such as when a system error occurs with no work around available or when the Department cannot complete an Override which creates a new Outcome record or replaces an existing claim in the Department’s IT Systems.
'National Employment Standards' is a set of 11 minimum employment standards that have to be provided to all employees in Australia.
'Non-Government Program' means work-focused programs or vocational interventions delivered by private and community based organisations, as approved by the Department and identified as such on the Provider Portal.
'Override' means an amendment to a record in relation to Job Placements and Education Placements in the Department’s IT Systems, as requested by a Provider and approved by the Department.
'Payslip Verified Outcome' means an Employment Outcome where the Participant’s earnings or hours worked have been verified by the Provider uploading Documentary Evidence to the Department’s IT Systems.
'Partial Capacity to Work' means a person with a physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment, where the impairment prevents them from working at least 30 hours per week at the relevant minimum wage or above, independently of a program of support, within the next 2 years.
'Personal Event' means a Participant's personal event that has been recorded in their Electronic Calendar.
'Points Based Activation System' (PBAS) means the system which allows Participants to meet their Mutual Obligation Requirements by undertaking sufficient tasks and activities to meet a monthly Points Target. PBAS only relates to Workforce Australia Services or Digital Services.
'Pre-existing Education' means Education that started prior to a Participant’s Commencement in Transition to Work.
'Pre-Training Assessment' or 'PTA' means an assessment conducted by the SEE Provider to determine the Participant’s capability levels against the Australian Core Skills Framework and their capacity to benefit from the SEE program.
'Principal Carer Parent' means a person who is the main care provider of a dependent child under 16, as set out in the Social Security Guide.
'Recurring Employment' means Employment, Unsubsidised Self-Employment, apprenticeship or traineeship which results in more than one Employment Outcome for a Participant with the same Employer during the same Period of Unemployment.
'Self-Employment Assistance' means the Commonwealth program of that name that delivers services including: Exploring Self-Employment Workshops, Small Business Training, Business Plan development, Small Business Coaching, Business Health Checks, and Business Advice Sessions.
'Services Australia Fortnight' means the fortnightly periods that align with the fortnight for which a Participant has reported earnings and income to Services Australia.
'Service Offer Commitment' or 'Service Offer' means a commitment the Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) Provider made in its response to the request for Tender to this Deed.
'Specialist Course' means a Training Block 2 Course which provides EST Participants with training in the context of a particular industry’s or industries' work environment (e.g. retail, hospitality, construction), in accordance with any Guidelines. A Specialist Course may be a Youth Course or 25 Plus Course.
'Temporary Reduced Work Capacity' (TRWC) means a person with a temporary medical condition which has been identified as causing a temporary reduction to their capacity to work, through an ESAt. Those with a TRWC will have reduced Mutual Obligation Requirements for the period of their TRWC.
'Training Block 1 Course' means the EST Course as described in the Benefits of Training Block 1 section.
'Training Block 2 Course' means the EST Course as described in the Benefits of Training Block 2 section.
'Transition Plan' means the plan prepared under the Time to Work Employment Service that identifies a Time to Work Participant’s post-release requirements for parole; reintegration and rehabilitation services; vocational education, employment and other activities; and support services.
'Volunteer Period' means the period of time in which a Participant (Mutual Obligations) is Suspended and chooses to voluntarily engage in Services.
'Workforce Australia Online for Individuals Base Service' or 'Online Base Service' refers to the Department’s Self-managing in Workforce Australia Online for Individuals service that is available to any Australian wishing to participate in employment services who is not otherwise considered a fully eligible Participant. Access is via myGov, with no referral from Services Australia required. The Online Base Service will enable users to look for jobs, develop their résumé and access complementary programs, based on the eligibility of each program.
'Workforce Australia Online for Individuals Full Service' or 'Online Full Service' refers to the Department’s Self-managing in Workforce Australia Online for Individuals service available to fully eligible Participants who are assessed as able to self-manage their search for work. The Online Full Service allows Participants to self-manage their participation in employment services with a range of supports available such as access to the Digital Employment Fund, pre-employment pathways for eligible Participants and support provided by the Digital Service Contact Centre (DSCC).
'Youth Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged under 25 years.