The Coalition Government will expand the eligibility for its Youth Jobs PaTH Internships program to give even more young people the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, said from 1 July 2019 the Government will open up eligibility for the internships element of PaTH and remove waiting periods so that more young people can benefit from the program sooner.
"Last financial year 100,000 young Australians found a job, but we want to see even more young Australians in work," Minister O’Dwyer said.
"Expanding the eligibility for PaTH Internships will give an additional 20,000 young people the opportunity to access the program at any point in time, and that means more people will be on a pathway to work."
"This will streamline the current eligibility arrangements which restrict participation to young people in receipt of income support who have been in employment services for six months or longer."
Seventy per cent of young people who participated in a PaTH Internship between May 2017 and April 2018 were in employment three months later. This is significantly higher than results for previous and similar work experience programs under Job Services Australia and for young people serviced more broadly in jobactive.
"The Government has repeatedly said that the best form of welfare is a job, and the success of PaTH Internships tells us our policies are working," Minister O’Dwyer said.
Under the changes announced today the following young people looking for work will have immediate access to a PaTH Internship and will no longer have to wait six months to be eligible:
those aged 17 to 24 in Stream A (the most job-ready of job seekers) in jobactive who participate in the Employability Skills Training element of PaTH; and
those aged 17 to 24 in Streams B and C in jobactive, as well as those participating in Transition to Work and Disability Employment Services.
Youth Jobs PaTH includes three flexible elements which help young people learn the skills, attitudes and behaviours that employers want; give young job seekers a chance to demonstrate their skills in the workplace through voluntary internships of four to 12 weeks; and provides a Youth Bonus wage subsidy of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) to help more businesses hire young people.
