Part-time or full-time study as an approved activity for JobSeeker Payment (JSP) 001-09070020

Job seekers in receipt of JSP are expected to focus on job search. JSP is not payable to full-time students, unless they are doing a short course approved by Services Australia or an Employment Services Provider.

Most of the time, a person who is studying full-time should test their eligibility for a student payment. However, some short courses (less than 12 months) may be appropriate where the job seeker is unlikely to find work with their existing skills, and the course will enhance their immediate employability. Participation in these courses is subject to short course approval policy.

Full-time study in a short course will preclude a job seeker from qualifying for JSP only where:

• they have been advised (either at grant or at a later time) by their provider that their full-time study will not meet their mutual obligation requirements, and
• the job seeker is not willing to undertake other approved activities, such as job search, to meet their requirements

Otherwise, it is up to the provider to negotiate appropriate activities for the job seeker, including whether the study is included in the Job Plan or not, and to instigate compliance action as necessary for failure to meet compulsory requirements.

If a JSP job seeker is already connected with a provider or has claimed JSP and is referred to a provider through normal processes, they should be advised to discuss approval for any full-time study with their provider.

Provider managed job seekers will continue to be required to undertake job search and/or other approved activities, in conjunction with their study, even where the study is full-time.

Job seekers completing a tertiary qualification who have run out of allowable time for a student payment, may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment (JSP). It is the responsibility of the Employment Services Provider to accept or not accept study as an approved requirement in their Job Plan. Job seekers will also need to be willing to undertake other approved activities such as job search to meet their mutual obligation requirements.

In limited circumstances, when a job seeker is Centrelink managed, Services Australia can approve full-time short courses as fully meeting requirements.

In accordance with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) short course guidelines, Services Australia staff should not approve and code a short course for a job seeker who is provider managed. The job seeker is referred to their provider to discuss their participation and approval in a short course. This is important because it may impact on the level of servicing the provider can offer. If the provider approves the short course, the course details will be coded in the DEWR system.

If a job seeker is enrolled in a course of study that makes them eligible for a student payment, this should be discussed with the job seeker and where necessary a transfer to a more appropriate income support payment completed.

If a job seeker is undertaking a course of full-time study, which cannot be approved under short course policy, they will not remain qualified for JSP. To remain on JSP, they must reduce or reorganise their hours of study so that the course is considered part-time, and they can still undertake job search or other activities to meet their mutual obligation requirements.

Job seekers completing a tertiary qualification who have run out of allowable time for a student payment, may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment (JSP). It is the responsibility of the Employment Services Provider to accept or not accept study as an approved requirement in their Job Plan. Job seekers will also need to be willing to undertake other approved activities such as job search to meet their mutual obligation requirements.

In limited circumstances, Services Australia can approve a full-time short course as an approved requirement if the job seeker is undertaking qualifying study for JSP job seekers. Services Australia can only approve full-time study for JSP job seekers who are Centrelink managed (that is, if they have not commenced in employment services) if the job seeker has been identified as:

• requiring training under the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program or the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), or
• all the following conditions apply:
• the course is less than 12 months (2 semesters) in duration
• the course is full-time (or at least 15 hours per week for principal carers or partial capacity to work (PCW) 15-22 hours per week)
• the job seeker has a confirmed offer of employment in writing from the employer, pending the completion of a specified short course
• the course has a clear vocational application
• the job seeker is prepared to meet any costs involved

Employment Services Providers have the primary role in the approval of full-time short courses for JSP job seekers.

The same short course policy applies to all JSP job seekers, including those with 'part-time' requirements, such as principal carers and job seekers assessed as having a partial capacity to work (PCW).

The provider can approve a full-time short course for JSP job seekers at any time after they have begun service with the provider and if all the following conditions apply:

• the full-time course is less than 12 months in duration
• the course is full-time (or at least 15 hours per week for principal carers or partial capacity to work (PCW) 15-22 hours per week)
• the course is of a vocational nature
• the provider has identified that the job seeker is unlikely to find work with their existing skills
• the course is likely to provide a job seeker with a qualification and/or greater employability

When an Employment Services Provider approves a job seeker to undertake a full-time short course as part of their requirements, Services Australia will receive notification automatically from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). The job seeker will then be suspended or exited from employment services, become Centrelink managed, and a Centrelink Job Plan will be negotiated.

Providers can approve full-time study, including courses longer than 12 months, if the job seeker is a JSP single principal carer who has been granted Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) for the course.

If a JSP single principal carer contacts Services Australia about undertaking study, advise them they must first apply and be approved for PES. If PES is approved, the PES approval letter/documentation needs to be taken to the Employment Services Provider. If the course is:

• 30 hours or more a fortnight, the job seeker fully meets mutual obligation requirements and is exempt from short course approval. The provider will enter this as an approved short course, which will suspend the job seeker from employment services and make them Centrelink managed
• less than 30 hours per fortnight, the job seeker will remain connected to employment services and will continue to be treated as a job seeker, including being required to undertake other approved activities or requirements

If a full-time short course is approved, the job seeker will be deemed to be meeting their requirements for the duration of the course.

When a provider approves the short course and includes it as a compulsory requirement, job seekers are still required to look for and accept work, but not where it conflicts with the time of the course or if it would prevent them from completing the course. Job seekers are required to accept any suitable work that does not conflict with the course, and they are not permitted to limit their job searches only to areas relating to the course.

Job seekers with full-time requirements who are undertaking full-time short courses are required to remain connected with their provider. These job seekers are also required to attend an appointment with their provider or Services Australia if notified of a requirement to do so. Appointments should be scheduled for times that do not conflict with the job seeker's study timetable.

Job seekers with part-time requirements (for example, principal carers or people assessed with a partial capacity to work (PCW) of 15-29 hours per week) undertaking an approved full-time short course are deemed to be fully meeting their requirements and have no other requirements with their provider. They are still connected with the provider, although their Employment Provider Services would be suspended.

Providers only can approve job seekers participating in the following combination study activity codes:

• PSW activity code - any job seeker participating in at least 70 hours per fortnight of a combination of approved study and paid work (PSW)
• PPW activity code - principal carers and those job seekers assessed with a partial capacity to work (PCW) (15-29 hours) participating in at least 30 hours per fortnight of study and paid work (combined)
• PVS activity code - principal carers under 55 years of age participating in at least 30 hours per fortnight of approved voluntary work and study (combined)
• PSV activity code - principal carers under 55 years of age participating in at least 30 hours per fortnight of approved voluntary work, study and paid work (combined)

Providers will either suspend or exit these job seekers from employment services. The job seeker will become Centrelink managed and requires a Job Plan to be negotiated by us.

For JSP job seekers, any type of part-time study which cannot be approved under short course policy can be undertaken if the job seeker continues to meet all of their requirements, attending appointments and accepting offers of employment. For example, a job seeker may be studying at night and willing to look for work during the day. A job seeker will remain qualified for JSP, even where the course cannot be coded as an approved requirement and count towards meeting their requirements if:

• the job seeker is seeking and willing to undertake suitable work, and
• their studies do not appear to restrict their ability to meet their mutual obligation requirements

Principal carers on JSP can participate in approved study of at least 15 hours per week (30 hours per fortnight) in any combination of contact and non-contact hours to fully meet their mutual obligation requirements. This is regardless of whether the institution regards the course as full-time or part-time. If the study is less than 15 hours per week, the principal carer must participate in another requirement. This could be a combination of paid work and study, or self-employment and study. If no other task can be approved to fully meet the job seeker's requirements, they may have job search requirements, in addition to their hours of study.

Job seekers assessed as having a temporary reduced work capacity (TRWC) or partial capacity to work (PCW) of 0-7 or 8-14 hours per week can volunteer to participate in part-time or full-time study. These job seekers will still attend Quarterly Appointments as their only compulsory requirement.

If job seeker is undertaking full-time or part-time study as a PP customer and then transfers to JSP, they can continue their course of study even if where the remainder of the course is longer than 12 months in duration. They will be taken as fully meeting requirements while completing their course as long as they continue studying in the same course for at least 30 hours per fortnight (including contact and non-contact hours).

The job seeker does not have to be a principal carer on JSP following the transfer for the study to continue to be allowed.

A full-time academic course cannot be approved as a short course for a JSP job seeker just because they have exhausted their allowable time on a student payment. In exceptional circumstances, the provider may approve the full-time academic study as a compulsory requirement. An example of when full-time academic study might be approved is where a person has been unsuccessful in their job search but has only a single study period (for example, a semester, or between 6 and 12 months) to complete in order to obtain a degree that would greatly improve their employment prospects. If a provider approves full-time study as per the guidelines above, there is no need for the person to test their eligibility for a student payment even if the job seeker is undertaking an academic course and could qualify for Austudy.

Generally, full-time study of more than 12 months duration or higher academic study such as Masters or Doctorate study cannot be approved for JSP recipients except for the groups to which the short course exception rules apply:

• people transferring to JSP or Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker) from PP
• single JSP principal carers who have been granted Pension Education Supplement (PES) for a course

For CDP job seekers, activities such as study may be included in their Job Plan as a voluntary requirement only.

For CDP job seekers:

• CDP providers consider each job seeker's assessed capacity and individual circumstances when negotiating Job Plans
• minimum hourly requirements do not apply, and
• there are no specific requirements, or rules regarding combinations of requirements, for CDP job seekers based on their age group or participation category

For information on mutual obligation requirements for job seekers in CDP, see Community Development Program (CDP).

Some job seekers undertaking part-time or full-time study as an approved requirement for JobSeeker Payment (JSP) may be eligible to receive the Education Entry Payment (EdEP). A separate claim for EdEP is not needed. The EdEP assists participants with the up-front costs of education and training. For information on eligibility and coding requirements, see Education Entry Payment (EdEP).