Parents will continue to be supported to plan and prepare for employment by the time their youngest child reaches school age with a three-year extension of ParentsNext contracts.
Announcing the extension of ParentsNext contracts today, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said ParentsNext continues to improve the work readiness and employment prospects of participants.
"We recognise that many parents and carers of young children need help to prepare and plan for a return to employment as their children start school," Minister Cash said.
"ParentsNext is a pre-employment program that assists eligible parents with young children to plan their next steps towards study or work.
"The Morrison Government is committed to getting people back into work and rebuilding our economy from the impact of COVID-19. Successful programs like ParentsNext all have a role to play to achieve this goal.
Since July 2018, over 133,000 parents started planning for employment with almost 57,000 parents and carers having commenced education and 27,668 having gained employment.
"This contract extension will provide certainty to the sector at a time where COVID-19 has been disruptive to so many people."
Minister Cash said that the Government was focussed on supporting more women get back into the workforce.
"ParentsNext is one of a number of initiatives the Australian Government has in place designed to boost employment for women, with others including Launch into Work, Mid-Career Checkpoint, and Career Revive," Minister Cash said.
"The Australian Government is working hard to prepare people for jobs, get people back into work and to rebuild the economy from the impacts of COVID-19."
