Sutherland was the venue this week for the national launch of a program aimed at tackling the problem of youth unemployment.
Federal Employment Minister, Senator Michaelia Cash sat down with Hughes MP Craig Kelly in the Sutherland CBD yesterday to discuss the latest strategy to get young people aged 15 to 25 into the workforce.
They heard anecdotal evidence from one small businessman, Cafe 2232 proprietor George Papadopoulos on the past difficulties in employing young people.
Employers keen to employ young people are often presented with candidates who aren’t equipped with the necessary core skills that are required.
And with small business seen as the first port of call for many young job seekers, the
Federal Employment Minister was listening.
The program she was announcing has been tailored to encourage small business to employ more young people.
Called Prepare Train Hire (PaTH) program, it is aimed at delivering skills training to help young people get into the workforce.
Senator Cash used her first visit to the shire to announce the latest details of the roll-out of the program.
The Federal government has committed $188.3 million over four years to provide training in pre-employment skills for young people aged 15 to 24 years to develop their employability.
More than 70 job organisations including several local companies been invited to apply to providing the training for young people under the program.
The program comes with two unique features.
It requires young people who are eager to work but make lack essential skills. And it includes generous incentives to encourage small business operators to agree to employ them.
As Craig Kelly said, “The issue to be tackled is that there are a lot of young kids who have the will but they don’t have the training the get a job.
“The theory is it’s far better to have these kids experiencing the workplace rather than sitting at home on the dole.”
Under the program, the young participants are offered an internship and get $200 a fortnight on top of their Centrelink benefits.
The program goes over four to 12 weeks, depending on work position.
The employer gets a grant when taking on a young job-seeker and is encouraged to keep them on after the program finishes when there is another incentive payment.
Senator Cash said that the program relies on the participation of small business.
“In small business the viability of a business is affected if they get the wrong person, so we asked what do employers need.
“We based the training around what they told us.
“Training was broken down into two three-week blocks.
“The first unit tells young people what is expected of them in the workforce.
They are told how to communicate, and what type of language is appropriate.
“A lot of these youth have never had a job. We assume a lot of them know the etiquette of the workplace.
“A lot know how to play games on a computer but they don’t know how to use a computer.
“The program teaches them to know the etiquette to get their foot in the door.
“The second unit teaches them how to put a CV together and how to present themselves in an interview and in the workplace.”
The Federal Government is aiming to get 200,000 youth go through the training program over the next four years.
Yesterday, Senator Cash announced the 77 successful tenders across Australia to provide the training. They now have two weeks to accept the offers.
“They must be a local trainer,” she said. “This is about employing local youth.”
The next stage of the program is the internship stage which starts April 1.
A participating business will get $1000 to defray all the costs of taking on a new intern. The intern gets $200 a fortnight.
“The internship is voluntary which is important,” Senator Cash said.
“One of the questions a participating business is asked is do they have a position or likelihood of a position available.
“This is not about work experience. It’s about sustainable employment.
“These kids will want to work, hence why the internship is voluntary.”
The training will be aimed at different levels. Some youth may have already received training.
Participating youth will be put in contact with a potential employer through their job provider.
And because the program is a blend of feedback from employers, it hopes that many of the internships will be turned into permanent jobs
With this in mind, the Federal Government will offer participating employers a wage subsidy of up to $10,000 in a six-month period with 40 per cent up front.
George Papadopoulos believes that the program could work.
“With the incentives it will make business-owners think that it has potential,” he said.
Senator Cash added, “And the government is bearing the cost.”