Mutual obligation requirements for Youth Allowance job seekers under 22 years of age who have not completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification 001-09020040

Job seekers will be identified as an ESL if they are:

• under 22 years of age, and
• have not completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification

Most ESLs are required to undertake approved requirements to meet their mutual obligation requirements. Approved requirements could include:

• full-time education or training
• a combination of part-time education or training and part-time work for a total of 25 hours per week (15 hours for Principal Carer Parents and those with a Partial Capacity to Work (PCW) of 15 to 29 hours per week)
• other approved requirements for 25 hours per week (15 hours for Principal Carer Parents and those with a PCW of 15 to 29 hours per week), or
• Youth Activities to satisfy mutual obligation requirements

This does not apply to job seekers in Community Development Program (CDP) regions, as requirements in CDP are voluntary. See Community Development Program (CDP) for information about mutual obligation requirements for CDP job seekers.

All job seekers with mutual obligation requirements must have a Job Plan negotiated as soon as possible.

If a job seeker is provider managed, then the provider is responsible for:

• determining what requirements will satisfy mutual obligation requirements, and
• completing a Job Plan with the job seeker

Service Officers should only negotiate Job Plans for Centrelink managed job seekers in accordance with Negotiating Centrelink Managed Job Plans.

Tell the customer to claim online. If the customer is unable to complete an online claim, check the office details in Office Locator for the customer's local centre for further information and book the customer an appointment to complete an Assisted Customer Claim.

Launch the Participation Interview.

Has the customer stated they have completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification as part of the Job Seeker Snapshot? Note: ensure qualifications completed while at secondary school are recorded correctly.

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

Ensure the job seeker's education qualification is recorded correctly in the Job Seeker Snapshot. The response to the Job Seeker Snapshot education/qualifications question regarding:

• highest level of schooling, is recorded as 'Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification or equivalent (for example, Form 6 or Matriculation)', or
• qualifications completed since leaving school, is updated to reflect the relevant qualification

Job seeker may be exempt from RapidConnect due to a possible referral to a program such as:

• Skills for Education and Employment (SEE)
• Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), or
• If they are already satisfying their mutual obligation requirements by undertaking Youth Activities to satisfy mutual obligation requirements. Note: this option is only available for job seekers aged 18-21

Complete the Participation Interview and book the RapidConnect or initial appointment.

Tell the job seeker:

• they are required to provide evidence of completion of Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification at their new claim appointment
• if evidence is not provided, they will be identified as an ESL

Go to Step 6.

Continue with the Participation Interview.

If the job seeker is:

• identified as RapidConnect, make an appointment with their Employment Services Provider within 2 days where available, via the Participation Interview
• exempt from RapidConnect due to a possible referral to a program such as Skills for Education and Employment (SEE), or Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) they are still required to be connected with a provider immediately
• Complete the Participation Interview and book an initial appointment with a provider within 14 days
• Make a note in the Online Diary to inform the Employment Services Provider that they would benefit from participation in the relevant program

Note: except for eligible job seekers in CDP regions, ESLs identified as eligible must be referred to Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) (where available)

Is the job seeker under 18 years of age?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, continue below

Is the job seeker at least 18 but under 22 years of age, and states in the claim that they have completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, update the customer's record in Process Direct or Customer First:
• Go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen
• Update Education Level Attained field only, with the appropriate response
• Complete Source, DOR and Action fields
• If the job seeker is not connected to a provider:
  - refer them to an Employment Services Provider (where appropriate), and
  - book the initial appointment (within the next 2 working days if available)
  - tell them the provider will negotiate the Job Plan with them
  Note: ESLs identified as eligible, must be referred to Workforce Australia Transition to Work (TtW) (where available)
• Procedure ends here

ESLs are required to undertake approved requirements, job search or a combination of these to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements. If the job seeker is under 18, go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen and in the:

• Study Exemption Rsn field, key 'YAA' (YAL activity agreement signed)
• Study Exemption End date field:
• Key the YAA exemption for the maximum 6 month period
• If the job seeker has less than 6 month’s before turning 18 code the study exemption end date as the day before their 18th birthday to avoid system error
• The exemption only needs to be coded once and remains effective until the job seeker turns 18 years of age, even where the exemption end date has expired
• The job seeker's payment will not be suspended for reason 'Under 18 - No Exemption to Studies (NEX) on expiry of the exemption

Record a DOC on the job seeker's record. Procedure ends here.

The job seeker must provide verification of their educational qualification. This may include:

• a Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification certificate issued by a Senior Secondary Board of Studies or an 'equivalent qualification' such as:
• an Australian Qualification Framework Certificate III
• a higher qualification issued by a Registered Training Organisation or higher educational institution
• a Certificate III or IV of General Education for Adults
• the International Baccalaureate, or
• other higher education pre-entry course
• a letter from the school or institution
• other evidence (for example, Details on the job seekers record which indicate they have completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification
• where no other evidence is available, a statutory declaration detailing the name of the course, date completed, institution and contact details

Note: a statement of attainment is generally not accepted as sufficient evidence. A statement of attainment does not confirm that the job seeker successfully completed a course. It only confirms that they have completed certain units from part of that course.

Completion of Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification may not require the job seeker to have sat Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification exams. A Victorian Certificate of Education, for example, can be awarded where the student has submitted school-based assessments for satisfactory completion of units but has not been assessed for levels of achievement in the study and has not sat examinations. The job seeker still needs to provide proof of the completion of Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification (that is, VCE certificate).

If verification is not available or unable to be obtained, a determination can be made based on:

• the weight of evidence as to whether it appears the job seeker has attained the required level of educational qualifications
• other evidence, for example, where the Service Officer can see the job seeker has undertaken this level of study as information has been recorded previously on one of the following screens:
• Process Direct:
  - Customer Study Details (EDC/EDCH) screen
  - Short Course Details (SCD/SCDS) screen
• Customer First:
  - Education Course History (EDCH) screen
  - Education Course Details (EDC) screen
  - Short Course Details screen

Has the job seeker provided verification, or is it apparent from their record that the job seeker has completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification?

Yes, go to Step 7

No, but if the job seeker states they:

• will be able to provide verification after the participation appointment, the job seeker can be given up to 28 days to provide verification. Go to Step 8
• will not be able to provide verification at all:
• in Process Direct on the NES screen, update the Verification Document Code field with NVE (not verified)
• in Customer First on the NES screen, update the Yr12/Equiv Verified field with NVE (not verified)
• tell the job seeker they will be subject to ESL requirements and/or job search to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements
• if the MFU activity with keyword 'Y12NVE' is still displaying on the Activity List (AL) screen, select and complete activity. Go to Step 4 in Table 3

Go to the NES screen, and:

• make appropriate updates. Note: a warning message will display to check and update the Job Seeker Snapshot. Action as appropriate
• key the Y12/Equiv Verified field using one of the valid types of evidence:
• VEC - Certification of achievement
• VEL - Letter from the school or institution
• OTH - Other evidence as appropriate
• VSD - a statutory declaration
• finalise the claim, following the existing job seeker process. See Applying mutual obligation requirements

Procedure ends here.

On the NES screen within the new claim activity, update the following:

• Y12/Equiv Verified field, key 'NVE' (Not verified)
• Study Exemption Rsn field, key 28D (28 day exemption to verify Y12/Equiv)
• end date of the study exemption in the Exemption End Date field - end date should be 28 days in the future

Finalise the claim. The job seeker will be given up to 28 days to provide verification of their qualification. However, they should provide it as soon as possible. Tell the job seeker if verification is not provided within 28 days, they will be identified as an ESL. If the MFU activity with keyword Y12NVE is still displaying on the Activity List (AL) screen, do not complete this activity. New claim procedure ends here.

Note: the study exemption code 28D can only be keyed within the new claim activity for ESLs and the end date should be keyed for a maximum of 28 days in the future. If verification is not provided by the end of the 28 day period, a different MFU with keyword 28DESL will be generated on the AL screen and an Urgent Issue will be displayed in Customer First to prompt staff to take follow-up actions.

For actions to be taken when the MFU review matures at 28 days, see Step 2 in Table 3.

ESLs who have one of the following approved activities will be Centrelink managed:

• Quarterly Participation Interviews for Partial Capacity to Work and Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (0-7 or 8-14 hours per week) job seekers
• job seekers with Partial Capacity to Work (PCW) or Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC) of 15-29 hours per week undertaking paid work, study or self-employment, or a combination of the 3, for at least 15 hours per week
• principal carers undertaking paid work, study or self-employment, or a combination of the 3, for at least 15 hours per week
• job seekers participating in Self-Employment Assistance whose Self-Employment Allowance has ceased 39 weeks after commencing the program
• job seekers participating in Youth Activities to satisfy mutual obligation requirements

Job Plans must be negotiated in accordance with Negotiating Centrelink Managed Job Plans.

Note: the Action Item 'Customer is Centrelink managed and has no current Job Plan. Negotiate Job Plan with customer', may appear for ESL job seekers who:

• are participating full time in AMEP, and
• are yet to be referred to an Employment Services Provider

These job seekers are not Centrelink managed and must be referred to a Provider. Once referred, they will display as Provider managed.

When the ESLs education qualification has been updated to Y12/13 or equivalent (for example, Form 6 or Matriculation) via the Job Seeker Snapshot:

• an MFU activity with the keyword Y12NVE will be generated and display on the job seeker's record
• the ESL will receive SMS and/or email reminders (if they have opted for these services) requesting they provide proof of their qualification within 14 days

For new customers, if the job seeker was granted the 28D study exemption at the new claim stage, if evidence of completion of Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification has not been provided:

• a MFU activity will be generated at the end of this period (with the keyword 28DESL attached), and
• an Action Item will also be displayed

Remind the job seeker:

• about the requirement to provide verification of completion of Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification immediately or when they lodge their next Reporting Statement
• if they do not provide verification at this contact, they will be identified as an ESL and their payment may be suspended. If evidence:
• is provided, go to Step 3
• is not provided, go to Step 4

Update the Educ. Level Attained field on the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen with the appropriate code. Note: a warning message will display to check and update the Job Seeker Snapshot as appropriate.

Has the job seeker provided an original document to prove their educational qualification or Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

If allocated a ZIAM_JSL_ESL work item with keyword 'Y12NVE' the MFU activity will display on the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First.

If the job seeker provides evidence of completing Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification, update their record regardless of their income support payment status.

• Select the activity and go to the NES screen
• Update the Y12/Equiv Verified field in the NES screen with the appropriate code:
• VEC - Certification of achievement
• VEL - Letter from the school or institution
• OTH - Other evidence as appropriate
• VSD - A statutory declaration

Note: if verification status is inconsistent with other NES entries, an AWE message 'W044NS - There is a later NES screen with Verified Y12/Equiv status' will prompt to correct any inconsistencies to the same Y12/Equiv Verified status prior to finalising the activity.

When the Yr12/Equiv Verified field on the NES screen has been updated with a 'verified' value, this verified status will be copied to all new Education Level attained entries with later date of effect.

If it has been established that the Yr12/Equiv Verified field has been incorrectly updated as 'verified', a Service Officer at the APS5 level or above with the required NESY12 resource access via the ICT Security Portal (ISP) will need to correct or delete the incorrect verified status.

If YA payment is suspended, QNV-Y12/Equiv Qualification Not Verified, restore payment within the same activity used to update the NES screen.

If the payment is cancelled and restoration is not appropriate, update the NES screen with the Year 12 or equivalent verification, to make sure the correct information is recorded.

Finalise activity from the Activity Results (AR) screen.

If the job seeker is not connected to a provider:

• refer them to an Employment Services Provider (where appropriate), and
• book the initial appointment (within the next 2 working days if available)
• tell them the provider will negotiate the Job Plan with them
  Note: ESLs identified as eligible must be referred to Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) (where available)

Procedure ends here.

Check if the job seeker has provided verification of completing Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification and the details are confirmed. To do this check:

Process Direct:

• Customer Study Details (EDC/EDCH) screen, or
• Short Course Details (SCD/SCDS) screen

Customer First:

• Education Course History (EDCH) screen

If the customer has provided verification, on the NES screen in:

• Process Direct: update the Verification Document Code field with an appropriate code. For example, OTH (other evidence as appropriate)
• Customer First: update the Yr12/Equiv Verified field with an appropriate code. For example, OTH (other evidence as appropriate)

If details are not confirmed on the EDC/EDCH or SCD/SCDS in Process Direct or the EDCH screen in Customer First, tell the job seeker of the requirement to provide original documentation to prove their educational qualification as soon as possible.

If the qualification is not verified 14 days after the Educ Level Attained field on the NES screen has been updated to Y12 Sec, a letter will be sent reminding them to verify the qualification within 14 days or their payment may be suspended.

If the ESL does not provide the requested documentation within 14 days from the date the letter is sent, the job seeker's payment:

• will automatically be suspended with reason code QNV (Y12/Equiv Qualification Not Verified), and
• can only be restored when the qualification has been recorded as verified

If payment is still suspended after 13 weeks, it will be automatically cancelled with reason code QNV. Cancellations under this reason cannot be restored.

Note: where the job seeker is unable to provide original documentation within the required timeframe (for example, educational institution is closed for a period of time), a statutory declaration can be provided, see Step 3.

If the job seeker has not provided or now advise they cannot provide the verification of completing Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification:

• update the Y12/Equiv Verified field on the NES screen with 'NVE' (not verified)
• tell the job seeker they will be subject to ESL requirements and/or job search to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements
• if YAL/JSK is SUS-QNV, restore payment
• if the MFU activity with keyword Y12NVE is still displaying on the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First, select and complete activity
• if not connected to a Provider:
• refer to an Employment Services Provider (where appropriate), and
• book the initial appointment within 2 working days (if possible)
• tell the job seeker the provider will negotiate the Job Plan with them
  Note: ESLs identified as eligible must be referred to Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) (where available)

If the job seeker now advises they actually did not complete Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification:

• update Educ. Level Attained field on the NES screen to the correct level of education level attained (for example, Year 11)
• tell the job seeker they will be subject to ESL requirements and/or job search to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements
• if YAL/JSK is SUS-QNV, restore payment
• if the MFU activity with keyword Y12NVE is still displaying on the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First, select and complete the activity
• check and update the response to the Job Seeker Snapshot education/qualifications question as appropriate, using the Start Job Seeker Registration workflow within the Participation Summary in Process Direct
• if not connected to a Provider:
• refer to an Employment Services Provider (where appropriate), and
• book the initial appointment within 2 working days (if possible)
• tell the job seeker the provider will negotiate the Job Plan with them
  Note: ESLs identified as eligible must be referred to Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW) (where available)

If the ZIAM_JSK_ESL work item with keyword 'Y12NVE' is allocated when the job seekers income support status is not current, and the job seeker has not provided evidence of completing Year 12 or equivalent:

• update the Y12/Equiv Verified field on the NES screen with 'NVE' (not verified) to make sure the correct information is recorded
• if the MFU activity with keyword 'Y12NVE' is still displaying on the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First, select and complete the activity
• check the ZIAM_JSK_ESL work item is completed in Customer First after processing is completed