3.2.10.30 Work Experience Activity Requirement

Length of work experience activity

Job seekers should generally complete their work experience activity requirement within a 26 week period every 12 months. Job Services Australia providers also have the flexibility to extend the time a job seeker has to undertake the activity to a period of greater than 26 weeks and up to 12 months where appropriate, based on the job seeker's needs. In these circumstances, the JSA provider must update the job seeker's EPP to reflect the extended activity timeframes.

Hours of participation

Job seekers will be required to undertake their work experience activity or activities to meet the participation requirements outlined in the below table, in order to satisfy their work experience activity requirement.

Combining activities to meet work experience activity requirements

Job seekers will be able to undertake any combination of work experience activities to satisfy their work experience activity requirement.

There is no minimum hourly requirement for each activity where a combination of activities is undertaken to jointly meet a job seeker's work experience activity requirement.

Generally, the number of hours of participation required is equivalent to the activity with the highest hours requirement; noting that if the hours requirement is first met in the activity with the lower hours requirement, a job seeker will be taken to fully meet their work experience activity requirement.

Example: A 25 year old job seeker who is participating in WFD and part-time work would need to complete 390 hours in total. However, where they have completed 130 hours of part-time work, this would satisfy their requirements, regardless of how many hours they had completed in WFD.

	Age of job seeker
Work Experience Activity	Under 18 yearsNote A	18 - 20 years	21 - 39 years	40 - 49 years	50 - 59 yearsNote B	Over 60 years Note A	Part-time Note C
WFD, Drought Force, Green Corps and voluntary work	Volunteer	310	390	150	Volunteer	Volunteer	150
Defence Force Reserves	Volunteer	200	240	150	Volunteer	Volunteer	150
Part-time paid work (including self-employment)	Volunteer	130	130	130	Volunteer	Volunteer	-
Part-time study	Volunteer	100 contact hours	100 contact hours	100 contact hours	Volunteer	Volunteer	100 contact hours
Full-time WFD	Not applicable	1100	1100	1100	1100	Not applicable	Not applicable
Any combination of activities with accredited training Note E	Volunteer	200	240	150	Volunteer	Volunteer	150
Any combination of activities (including non-accredited training) Note F	Volunteer	Required participation hours will be the activity in the combination of activities with the highest number of hours, unless the job seeker satisfies the full requirement for an activity with a lower number of hours.			Volunteer	Volunteer	150
Unpaid work experience placement activity	Unpaid work experience placements cannot on its own meet a job seeker's work experience activity requirement. Unpaid work experience placement activities are available to job seekers 18 years and over and can be between a minimum of eight hours per week and a maximum of 50 hours per fortnight. Placements can range between 5 days (minimum) and 4 weeks (maximum).
Work Experience Activity	All age groups
Other Australian or State/Territory Government training or employment program including Language, Literacy and Numeracy Programme, NEIS, Apprenticeships Access Program and Youth Pathways	Satisfactory participation in the program in accordance with the rules for the respective program.
Relocation to an area of higher labour demand	This enables a job seeker to meet their annual work experience activity requirement. However, they would also need to undertake intensive job search for a period following the relocation.
Non-vocational programs/services	Participation in these programs and services can fully satisfy the work experience activity requirement for job seekers in the work experience phase of stream 4 only.
Additional work experience activities as notified by DEEWR from time to time	Hours will need to be confirmed with DEEWR.

Note	Explanation
A	Job seekers aged under 18 and over 60 do not have a work experience activity requirement, but may choose to participate in all work experience activities on a voluntary basis. Total hours of participation and activity duration may be decided by negotiation between the JSA provider and the job seeker.
B	Job seekers aged between 50 and 59 do not have a work experience activity requirement, unless the JSA provider determines that the job seeker will benefit from participation in Full-time WFD. Job seekers aged between 50 and 59 may choose to participate in all other work experience activities on a voluntary basis. Total hours of participation and activity duration may be decided by negotiation between the JSA provider and the job seeker.
C	Principal carer parents or a person with a partial capacity to work aged 18-49.
D	Accredited training in most 'generally group-based' activities and including voluntary work, may reduce (discount) the total number of hours a job seeker is required to undertake.
E	Non accredited training can be counted towards the job seekers requirement on an hour-for-hour basis but will not reduce the overall hours requirement.

Total hours requirement with training

Where appropriate and available, JSA providers can include a component of structured training in WFD, full-Time WFD, Green Corps, Drought Force and voluntary work and this will either reduce or count towards a job seeker's work experience activity requirement.

Where accredited vocational training is included as part of WFD, full-time WFD, Green Corps, Drought Force and voluntary work activity, the total hours requirement is:

200 hours for those aged 18-20 years,
240 hours for those aged 21-39 years,
150 hours for those aged 40-49 years,
150 hours for principal carer parents, and
150 hours for people with a partial capacity to work due to disability.

Where the training is not accredited, the total number of hours to be spent undertaking the activity is not reduced, but the contact hours of the training component count towards the job seeker's work experience activity requirement. The hours undertaken in accredited or non-accredited structured training in full-time WFD will not reduce a job seeker's overall work experience activity requirement but the contact hours of the training component may count towards the job seeker's work experience activity requirement.

Where accredited training totals 100 contact hours or more, then the job seeker will be deemed to have met their work experience activity requirement regardless of how many hours they had completed in their WFD, Green Corps, Drought Force and voluntary work activity.

Example: Sarah is 25 years old and has a work experience activity requirement in the work experience Phase. To meet her requirement, Sarah decides to undertake a Green Corps activity with a component of accredited structured training, which will reduce her overall activity requirement from 390 to 240 hours.

Note: If Sarah first completes 100 contact hours in accredited training this then fully meets her obligation to undertake a part-time study work experience activity in the work experience phase. The JSA provider is able to amend Sarah's work experience activity requirement from Green Corps to part-time study reflecting the fact that Sarah has met her work experience activity requirement through her participation in structured training.

Supplement payment

Job seekers receiving income support who participate in WFD, full-time WFD, Drought Force and Green Corps activities will be eligible to receive a supplement of $20.80 per fortnight to assist them in meeting the additional costs of participation.

Act reference: SSAct section 606 Newstart Employment Pathway Plans-terms, section 607 Newstart Employment Pathway Plans-principal carers, section 607A Newstart Employment Pathway Plans-people with partial capacity to work, section 607B Newstart Employment Pathway Plan-requirement to participate in an approved program of work, section 544B Youth Allowance Employment Pathway Plan-terms, section 501A Parenting Payment Employment Pathway Plan-terms

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Last reviewed: 1 July 2009

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