IMPLEMENTING CHANGE: A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR JOBS AND GROWTH 9th Annual Meeting IMPLEMENTING CHANGE: A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR JOBS AND GROWTH In co-operation with the EU Presidency, Irish Government and Pobal 26-27 March 2013, Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland PLENARY SESSION II: LOCAL EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES IN RURAL AREAS Sally Sinclair CEO, National Employment Services Association, Australia

Regional, Rural and Remote Employment Strategies – the Australian Experience Presented by: Sally Sinclair, CEO National Employment Services Association 27 March 2013 OECD LEED 9th Annual Meeting - Dublin

NESA is the voice of the Australian employment services industry NESA is an industry association and the peak body for the Australian employment and related services industry Australia has a fully outsourced employment services delivery model NESA represents and advocates on behalf of contracted providers to ensure that we achieve: Continuous improvement to design, delivery and performance of employment services for stakeholders, and A sustainable and vibrant industry.

Key Elements of Policies & Programs Personalised, individualised services Targeted resources – geographical areas, target groups, specific eligibility, demand-led initiatives Partnerships & collaboration – wrap around servicing, co-location, case co-ordination Outcomes focus Social inclusion Matching skills and labour demand and supply Communication – government websites, use of intermediaries and employment services provider networks

Responsive Policy & Service Framework The contracting arrangements of Australian employment services support a dynamic and responsive policy environment. The purchaser maintains the right to vary DEEDs and supporting guidelines to include new initiatives and respond to changing circumstance and priorities throughout the contract period. Complementary Programmes: Targeted Industry Support Structural Adjustment Packages Cohort Focused Initiatives Mature Age Workers Early school leavers Long term unemployed – Wage Connect Subsidy Program Indigenous Employment Program Examples of policy used to focus on individual geographic areas and participant cohorts

Responsive Policy & Service Framework Geographically Targeted Initiatives Local Connections to Work Priority Employment Areas Local Employment Coordinators Jobs and Skills Expos Disaster Response Packages Connecting People with Jobs Regional Development Authorities Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Coordinators Skills Focused Initiatives Apprenticeship Kick Start Initiative Examples of policy used to focus on individual geographic areas and participant cohorts

Geographic Remoteness at a Glance Geographic distribution of Australian families Over two-thirds (69%) of Australians live in major cities, one in five (20%) live in inner regional areas, one in ten (9%) in outer regional areas and around one in forty (2.3%) live in remote or very remote areas (1.5% remote and 0.8% very remote). These figures represented, in 2009, 15.1 million people living in major cities, 4.3 million in inner regional areas, 2.1 million in outer regional areas, 324,000 in remote areas and 174,000 in very remote areas (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2010).3 While Australians of all backgrounds reside in the different regions across Australia, the Indigenous population has a much greater concentration in the more remote areas. Although 2.4% of Australia's population are Indigenous, their geographic distribution across Australia is quite different. Indigenous people comprise 1% of the population in major cities, 3% in inner regional areas, 6% in outer regional areas, 15% in remote areas and 49% in very remote areas.

Activation Access to employment assistance All unemployed and significantly underemployed people of working age are eligible to receive assistance through Australian Employment Services. Early engagement All new income support claimants are connected to employment services on first contact with Centrelink Appointment with employment services providers scheduled for a time within 2 working days through an electronic diary Granting of income support subject to commencement with employment services provider Additional direct registration pathways for voluntary (non activity tested) job seekers Background on employment services framework for all programa

Activation – Mutual Obligation Australia has strong mutual obligation policies that promote the responsibilities of job seekers in return for unemployment benefits Foundation Activity and participation requirements: Be actively looking for paid work and/or be participating in another approved activity, and Be willing to take any suitable job that you are capable of doing, including full-time, part-time and casual jobs. Requirements are recorded in an Employment Pathway Plan Job search requirements Referrals to employment services providers Paid work Referrals to specialist assistance, and Other approved activities that job seekers will undertake to improve their chances of finding work. Role of mutual obligation and compliance responsibilities in all employment services programs. Significant reporting requirements by providers to government agency Centrelink (Department of Human Services)

Australian Employment Services Framework Centrelink Social Security Employment Services Gateway Job Seeker Compliance Framework Complementary Programs National Employment Services Data Base National Performance Assessment Framework Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations Policy & Program Administration, Development & Implementation Purchasing & Contract Management New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, Harvest Labour Services, Experience + Youth Connections, Language, Literacy & Numeracy, Indigenous Employment Programs Employment Services model currently. New Remote Model from 1 July 2013 – more details in later slides

Long Term Unemployment Risk Assessment Job Seeker Classification Index Factors

More intensive assistance for those at relatively more risk Tailored Service Provision Example of JSA services and general underpinning policy principle of most intensive services to most disadvantaged. Assessment process though for linkage to services determines relative disadvantage rather than actual.

Tailored Service Provision Flexible, Tailored Service Model enables integrated wrap around service assistance to address individual needs and local circumstances Job Placement Services Job Search Support Employer Services Job Search Facilities Skills Assessment Individual Case Management Employment Pathway Plan Community Linkages Access to resources to support interventions Post Placement Support Work Experience Range of Activities Work for the Dole Training Volunteering Work Trials Basis for employment services program modelling Complementary Programs New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, Harvest Labour Services, Experience +, National Green Jobs Corps, Youth Connections, Language, Literacy & Numeracy, Indigenous Employment Programs

Employment Pathway Fund Flexible pool of funding to purchase assistance to help job seekers get and keep a job, such as: Vocational & Employability Skills Training Work related clothing and safety equipment Licences & certificates Short term travel costs Relocation costs to commence employment Other personal support services, including dental, health and housing assistance Employer Assistance – Wage subsidies, on-the-job training and mentoring for job seekers. EPF credits are attached to job seeker commencement but not to the job seeker. A notional bank and reimbursement model

Performance Framework 3 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) KPI 1 – Efficiency KPI 2 – Effectiveness KPI 3 - Quality Assurance Framework KPIs 1&2 assessed on the basis of performance measures and weightings = Star Ratings KPI 3 ensures providers deliver the services contracted and that job seekers receive quality services Star Ratings are used by: job seekers to assess the comparative performance of providers in their local area providers to measure their contractual performance DEEWR to measure performance and allocate business share to providers Statistical regression analysis used to allow comparison of provider performances across Australia Job seeker characteristics Labour market characteristics Period of performance assessment six monthly milestone periods that conclude at the end of June and December

New Remote Model New Remote Model Key features of the Remote Jobs and Communities Program: Remote Employment and Participation Activities Individualised, tailored assistance Participation Account Funding to address vocational and non-vocational barriers Remote Youth Leadership and Development Corps (Youth Corps) Tailored mentoring and training support Community Action Plan (CAP) Employment, economic and community development goals Local stakeholder partnerships Workforce Development Strategy Regionally focused and demand-led strategies Employer collaboration to address skills and labour shortages Community Development Fund (CDF) Initiatives to build community capacity The new Remote Jobs and Communities Program (RJCP) will provide a simpler, more integrated and flexible approach to services in identified Remote Regions from 1 July 2013 The Remote Jobs and Communities Program will integrate and build on the services currently provided in remote regions by Job Services Australia (JSA), Disability Employment Services (DES), the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) and the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program.

OVERVIEW MAP OF 59 REMOTE REGIONS Overview of Map of 59 Remote Regions These are the 59 specified regions that the new Remote Jobs and Community Program will operate in.

National Broadband Network – Future Strategies The National Broadband Network will: Provide high-speed broadband access to all Australian homes and businesses through a mix of three technologies: Optic fibre Fixed wireless Next generation satellite 93% of Australian homes, schools and businesses will have access through optic fibre Optic fibre is capable of providing broadband speeds of up to one gigabyte per second All Australian homes and businesses to be connected to national broadband by the end of the10 year roll out Australia mostly relies on an ageing copper telecommunications network to connect our homes and businesses to the internet, so our broadband performance lags behind many other countries. Technology is advancing faster than at any other time and its playing a bigger part in our daily lives: form learning and communicating to health and business. All these advances require more data. In fact Australian internet data downloads grew by more than 50% last year. Globally internet data traffic is expected to grow fourfold from 2011-2016.

Some Resources Some Resources Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations http://deewr.gov.au/ Priority Areas http://deewr.gov.au/priority-employment-area-initiative Demography and Population http://www.sarrahtraining.com.au/site/index.cfm?display=143626 Families in regional, rural and remote Australia http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/factssheets/2011/fs201103.html Some resources for further information on Australian demographics and education, employment and training

Website: www.nesa.com.au Contact Details Contact Details NESA Level 8, 20-22 Albert Road South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Australia Phone: +613 9624 2300 Email: nesa@nesa.com.au Website: www.nesa.com.au