Selection or allocation of a Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider 001-02060010

When a job seeker registration is completed, eligible job seekers will be selected to participate in Workforce Australia Online for individuals (unless they are already connected to a Workforce Australia Services Provider), to access the assistance available through Workforce Australia. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) may determine that a provider is more suitable for the job seeker and require Services Australia to refer them onto the provider at commencement. The job seeker will remain with online or provider:

• for the duration of their unemployment
• until Workforce Australia Online deem a provider is more suitable
• until the Workforce Australia provider no longer has a contract, or
• they reach the maximum time they are allowed with Workforce Australia Online or one Workforce Australia provider

Job seekers referred to Workforce Australia Online will remain with the online service until DEWR deem it appropriate to refer them to a Workforce Australia provider. Job seekers who are referred to Workforce Australia Online who have low levels of language, literacy, low digital literacy or no access to a computer and/or the internet, can request a transfer to a provider:

• via their Workforce Australia online account, or
• by contacting the Digital Services Contact Centre and specifically requesting a transfer

This procedure covers the selection or allocation part of the referral process.

The Workforce Australia referral process is not complete until:

• the initial appointment is booked with the provider, or
• they have been selected for online employment services

In cases where a job seeker has not been referred to Workforce Australia Online:

• referral to a provider must be done on the day the Participation Interview is conducted, and
• the provider appointment booked within 2 working days, unless the customer is exempt from the process

Where there are no appointments within 2 workings days, an appointment must be made as soon as possible within 14 days.

Job seekers participating in the online employment service:

• are not required to attend a RapidConnect appointment with a provider
• will meet their RapidConnect obligation by agreeing to their Job Plan online

Eligible job seekers will be identified as RapidConnect job seekers during the Participation Interview. All customers claiming JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) (job seekers) will be subject to RapidConnect conditions, unless they meet one of the exemption reasons.

All Service Officers must run the Participation Interview for any job seeker who is claiming JSP or YA (job seeker).

Currently, Parenting Payment (PP) customers with mutual obligation requirements are not subject to RapidConnect payability conditions. However, they are required to be referred to Workforce Australia and have the initial appointment booked.

PP customers without mutual obligation requirements are not required to be referred to Workforce Australia, but they can volunteer to do so.

A job seeker must be willing to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements to qualify for payment. A job seeker should have their claim rejected or payment cancelled if they advise they do not intend to meet their requirements, including being registered as a job seeker or referred to an employment services provider.

If a customer is potentially suitable for other programs, this will be identified during the:

• Participation Interview, or
• subsequent interview for job seekers who are eligible to be registered as Fully Eligible Participants (FEPs), or
• Job Seeker Registration Only (JSRO) when the Job Seeker Snapshot is conducted

If the job seeker is eligible, and assessed as suitable for Disability Employment Services (DES), referral to Workforce Australia is not required at this time. All job seekers registering for employment services are referred to a provider. Incapacitated job seekers, whose incapacity end date is more than 6 weeks in the future, cannot be referred to Workforce Australia.

Details of deferred referral can be viewed via the Participation Summary screen.

Note: where available, TtW referrals have priority over Workforce Australia Provider Services. Job seekers identified as eligible for Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) must not be referred to Workforce Australia Provider Services. If TtW is available and offered in the Online Diary, job seekers must be referred. However, job seekers can insist on a referral to Workforce Australia Provider Services.

A Volunteer registration may be offered when a job seeker meets the eligibility criteria for registration as a Volunteer.

For details, refer to Eligibility for Employment Services as a volunteer.

If the customer has a deferred referral or is exempt, a letter is sent asking the job seeker to contact the agency to arrange referral to a provider at the end of the:

• deferred referral, or
• mutual obligation requirements exemption period

If the job seeker does not respond to the letter, the system will:

• attempt to book an appointment with Services Australia to discuss a referral to a provider
• create a manual follow up activity on the customer's record if the system cannot auto book an appointment

Service Officers should contact job seekers with these manual follow-up activities to make the provider referral.

The duration of the allowable break for job seekers is 13 weeks.

If a job seeker is re-registering, the time between the date of inactivation and the date they contact to re-register can affect the referral process:

• If a job seeker re-registers within the allowable break, up to 13 weeks, the initial registration date will be retained. They will be reconnected to the same provider that they were attending prior to the inactivation of the registration. Services Australia does not have to book an appointment with the provider and the job seeker will have continued access
• For job seekers re-registering more than 13 weeks after the date of inactivation, a new registration date is recorded and the job seeker must go through the entire registration and referral process

If a job seeker has moved to a new location and their provider services in the new area, they will be allocated to the same provider in their new area.

If the original provider does not service the new area, the job seeker will be randomly allocated a new provider.

When a job seeker moves to a DEWR designated remote area, they are referred to a Community Development Program (CDP) provider.

If the job seeker has moved to a new area, but remains linked to their previous provider, further investigation is required.

For further details, see Job seeker change of address.

A job seeker will not require a Workforce Australia appointment upon claiming for income support payment and will be automatically exempt from RapidConnect. This applies when a job seeker is claiming for JSP or YA and they are:

• registered as an active job seeker
• connected to Workforce Australia, and
• current in or suspended from Employment Provider Services

An existing volunteer job seeker who is now claiming JSP or YA will have their registration change to Fully Eligible Participant (FEP). These job seekers are assessed under the RapidConnect provision and will need to have a RapidConnect appointment booked with their provider.

If a selection and appointment is created in error, Services Australia cannot change it.

If the Service Officer selected the wrong provider, they must advise the job seeker to contact their provider or the DEWR National Customer Service Line (NCSL) for job seekers. See the Resources page for a link to the website and useful contact information containing contact phone numbers.

When registering an existing or new job seeker, the message 'Job seeker is not eligible for the program' may present. This may happen when trying to connect the job seeker to a provider after making the RapidConnect or referral determination.

This message is not a system fault.

It presents when Service Officers:

• attempt to refer to a Workforce Australia provider before other required actions are completed, or
• create an incorrect referral type

The actions required may include:

Non new claims

• completion of the correct job seeker registration type. For example, Fully Eligible Participant (FEP)
• the need to complete the Job Seeker Snapshot
• referral to an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt)
• management of the job seeker activity work item pending the outcome of an ESAt
• withdrawal of a pending ESAt referral (where appropriate) before referring to a Workforce Australia provider
• referral to a Disability Employment Services (DES) provider as per the latest, current and valid ESAt recommendation
• referral to the correct Employment Service. For example, ‘Workforce Australia Transition to Work’ rather than ‘Workforce Australia Services’

New claims

• determination of the RapidConnect requirement
• manual exemption of the RapidConnect requirement

See Table 3 on the Process page for assistance on resolving the Job seeker not eligible for program error.

There is only one CDP provider per remote area, job seekers in these areas will not have a choice of providers.