Eligibility to access employment assistance services through Workforce Australia 001-02020000

Workforce Australia provides tailored services and programs to help job seekers in their transition to employment based on their needs. This could include:

• help with looking for work, writing a resume and preparing for interviews
• referrals to jobs in their local area
• training that is suited to the skills that local employers need
• case management so they are ready to take up and keep a job
• helping job seekers into work, education, apprenticeships and traineeships
• support to complete Workforce Australia - Work for the Dole or other eligible tasks and activities to provide them with work-like experiences, to help them learn new skills and improve their chances of finding a job

Job seekers can access self service terminals in most Services Australia Service Centres and some Medicare Service Centres, Agents and Access Points. The terminals have been provided to enable customers to access self services.

Workforce Australia provides a range of services to job seekers, according to their circumstances and needs. A job seeker registering for services may be referred to Workforce Australia Online Employment Services or a Workforce Australia Employment Service Provider.

Job seekers can be registered as job seekers by the agency. There are 3 types of job seeker registration available to customers, according to their circumstances and needs.

FEP job seekers are able to access the full services as assessed by a Job Seeker Snapshot or, if required, an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt). Job seekers receiving payments with mutual obligation requirements are normally registered by the agency as FEP.

Non-protected SCV holders granted JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or YA under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption are eligible to be registered as FEP job seekers while receiving JSP or YA. These customers will be eligible for services from a Workforce Australia Employment Service Provider, but are not eligible for referral to Disability Employment Services (DES), Self-Employment Assistance or Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP).

Job seekers who do not have mutual obligation requirements or who are not receiving income support may be eligible to be registered as a volunteer job seeker. Volunteer job seekers are referred to Workforce Australia Online Employment Services.

All job seekers with mutual obligation requirements who are not eligible for registration as a Job Seeker Registration Only (JSRO) job seeker must be registered as Fully Eligible Participants (FEP).

All volunteer job seekers are referred to Workforce Australia Online Services.

Some customers are required to be registered as job seekers in order to access other assistance, but do not require a referral to Workforce Australia. Customers eligible for JSRO registration include:

• customers who need a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations record in order to be referred for a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). For example, Disability Support Pension (DSP) new claim customers or DSP customers requiring a Medical Review JCA to be booked
• full-time students applying for a supplementary allowance determination
• principal carers with long term exemptions from their mutual obligation requirements (longer than 16 weeks) who do not choose to volunteer for employment services
• customers requiring a Job Plan as a condition of their payment, including:
• principal carers fully meeting their mutual obligation requirements who do not choose to volunteer for employment services
• people with a Partial Capacity to Work who are fully meeting their mutual obligation requirements and do not choose to volunteer for employment services
• full-time students transferring to a job seeker payment within 4 weeks of their student end date
• customers who are participating in Small Business Coaching under Self-Employment Assistance presenting to Services Australia after 39 weeks of participation to claim income support

If job seekers do not meet the criteria for JSRO registration at any time, such as no longer fully meeting their mutual obligation requirements, the JSRO flag must be removed and the customer referred to a provider, if suitable.

To be assessed as a VY job seeker, a young person must meet all of the following conditions:

• be aged 15 to 21 years
• not working 15 hours or more per week, not studying full-time and not currently receiving an income support payment
• present with at least one serious non-vocational barrier
• have legal rights to work in Australia

In order to be assessed as a VY (student), a young person must meet all of the following conditions:

• be aged 15 to 21 years
• be a full-time student
• present with at least one serious non-vocational barrier
• be in crisis, which is defined as circumstances that require immediate intervention to stabilise their situation
• have legal rights to work in Australia

VY (youth and VY (students) can be registered either by Services Australia or directly by a Workforce Australia provider. If they are directly registered, they will be referred to the agency within 4 weeks to test their eligibility for an income support payment, and the agency may complete the Job Seeker Snapshot and refer them to an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) if required.

Most newly arrived refugees remain Centrelink managed for 12 months after their arrival in Australia. There are a number of factors that determine when a newly arrived refugee needs to be referred to Workforce Australia and the level of servicing they will receive. See Refugee entrant service offer for more information.

Job seekers may be voluntarily referred to Workforce Australia if they meet the eligibility criteria for registration as a volunteer.

Services Australia can register volunteer job seekers under the registration type of 'Volunteer'. All volunteer job seekers are referred to Workforce Australia Online services. Access to online services as a volunteer is not time limited.

When a job seeker lives in a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations designated remote area, they are referred to a CDP provider. The CDP provider will provide services similar to a Workforce Australia Employment Service Provider.