Registering Fully Eligible Participant (FEP) job seekers in Workforce Australia 001-02040010

JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (YA) job seekers must register as FEP. This registration must be completed as part of the Participation Interview.

JSP/YA job seekers are subject to RapidConnect and are required to be referred to a Workforce Australia Online for Individuals or a Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider.

Most job seekers are automatically referred to Workforce Australia Online during their Participation Interview and are not required to be referred to an Employment Services Provider or attend a RapidConnect appointment. Instead, they will meet their RapidConnect obligation by agreeing to their Job Plan online.

During the Participation Interview or Job seeker registration workflow, the agency will register a customer as an FEP job seeker.

This process includes:

• registering the customer as a job seeker with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
• providing them with their Job Seeker Identification (JSID) number, and
• conducting the Job Seeker Snapshot to determine the appropriate referral type required

Where the Job Seeker Snapshot determined that a referral to Workforce Australia Services is required, the job seeker will usually be automatically referred to Workforce Australia Online and a message will be displayed to explain this to the job seeker. If the job seeker required a provider appointment to be booked instead, the interview will proceed to booking an appointment with an Employment Services Provider.

Where the Job Seeker Snapshot determined that an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is required to identify a more appropriate referral option for the job seeker:

• an ESAt referral will be made, and
• the Job Seeker Snapshot will remain pending until the Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) report has been completed

All job seekers claiming or receiving an income support payment with mutual obligation requirements will have their job seeker registration and Job Seeker Snapshot interview completed by the agency. However, providers are able to register job seekers without mutual obligation requirements and apply the Job Seeker Snapshot if necessary. Where a Job Seeker Snapshot initiated ESAt is flagged, providers are able to make the referral directly to an Assessor.

If the Participation Interview is being conducted, it will also be determined if the job seeker is subject to RapidConnect. If the job seeker is subject to the RapidConnect provision, and a provider appointment is required, an appointment needs to be made within 2 working days or up to a maximum of 14 days. Non-attendance at this appointment can affect the job seeker's payment.

In some circumstances, referral to the provider may be deferred.

Principal carers with mutual obligation requirements must register as FEP. Staff must complete this registration as part of the Participation Interview. Parenting Payment (PP) job seekers with mutual obligation requirements are not subject to RapidConnect but are still required to be connected with an Employment Services Provider, unless exempt from doing so. Make an appointment within 2 working days of Participation Interview being run and the job seeker being advised of their obligation to attend a RapidConnect appointment.

New job seekers claiming for payments who are principal carers already meeting part-time mutual obligation requirements by undertaking suitable paid work/self-employment, of at least 15 hours per week or studying full-time, will be registered as FEP if they wish to volunteer for employment services. They will need to be connected to a provider and have the initial appointment booked. However, if they do not wish to volunteer for employment services, they will be registered as Job Seeker Registration Only (JSRO) job seekers.

PP job seekers not subject to compulsory mutual obligation requirements may volunteer to be referred to a provider.

Job seekers aged 15-21 who are not receiving income support are not eligible to be registered as a Fully Eligible Participant. They may however, be registered as Volunteers as long as they are not:

• full-time students
• working in paid employment for 15 hours or more per week and not on an Income Support Payment
• overseas visitors on working holiday visas or overseas students studying in Australia, or
• prohibited by law from working in Australia

Full-time students seeking an apprenticeship or traineeship are eligible for servicing as a Volunteer.

Young people who are not in receipt of Income Support Payments who are under school-leaving age, including those under 17 years, can be Registered only if they have permission to leave school.

Young people who wish to access employment services could have the Vulnerable Youth (VY) or Vulnerable Youth (student) (VY(s)) flag recorded on their record as part of the FEP registration.

VY and VY(s) can be registered either by Services Australia or directly by a Workforce Australia organisation. If they are directly registered, these young people will be referred to Services Australia within 4 weeks to test their eligibility for income support payment.

Job seekers with a right to work in Australia are eligible for employment assistance, and may be registered as FEP. Employment assistance will be based on the conditions of the job seeker's visa.

The following job seekers are excluded from being registered for employment assistance:

• overseas visitors on a working holiday visa
• overseas students studying in Australia
• people prohibited by law from working in Australia

Other job seekers may choose to voluntarily register for full services.

Job Seekers who have claimed online who choose to voluntarily register for full services can do so by registering via myGov or contacting Services Australia.

Volunteer job seekers are those volunteering for Workforce Australia services who are:

• receiving income support payments and do not have compulsory mutual obligation requirements including job seekers receiving:
• Parenting Payments with the youngest child under 6
• Carer Payments
• Age Pensioners
• not receiving income support payments and are:
• working fewer than 15 hours a week
• not studying full time, and
• entitled to work in Australia with the exception of working holiday visa holders and overseas students studying in Australia
• full-time students seeking an apprenticeship or traineeship
• newly arrived refugees eligible for the Better Targeting of Support for Refugees measure. See Refugee entrant service offer for more information

Retrenched workers (and their partners) who are not eligible for income support can directly register as Fully Eligible Participants for the Early Access initiative. To register in Early Access, customers must have either:

• been retrenched in the last 6 months
• been told, by the business they are employed with, 3 months before the retrenchment date

Tell the customer to:

• register directly with a local Workforce Australia provider
• contact the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations National Customer Service Line for more information

To be eligible for the Early Access initiative, customers need to provide their Workforce Australia provider with:

• evidence of retrenchment, this includes a letter or certificate of separation, with the retrenchment date and company name identified
• evidence of their relationship (where applicable)

This package is closed to new entrants but Workforce Australia may continue to provide services to job seekers under this package. On 22 August 2011, the Australian Government announced a package of support for redundant BlueScope Steel workers and contractors. As part of this support, workers and contractors who have been made redundant from BlueScope Steel in Illawarra and the Mornington Peninsula will be able to access immediate assistance to help them get back into the workforce.

An assistance package is available to provide support for redundant automotive manufacturing workers. As part of this support, any workers made redundant from an eligible automotive manufacturing company will receive immediate access to employment support through Workforce Australia to assist them get back into the workforce. Workers can also register directly with Workforce Australia for this support. Workers should check with their Workforce Australia organisation to determine if they were made redundant from an eligible company. Affected workers are required to provide evidence of redundancy when they register or attend an initial appointment with a Workforce Australia organisation.

This package is closed to new entrants but Workforce Australia may continue to provide service to job seekers under this package. This assistance package is available to provide support for redundant textile manufacturing workers. As part of this support, any workers made redundant from eligible textile, clothing and footwear manufacturers will receive immediate access to employment support from an Employment Services Provider to assist them get back into the workforce.