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Note: National Green Jobs Corps was a 2 year program and the associated National Green Jobs Corps supplement was only available to eligible recipients commencing between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2011. The National Green Jobs Corps program and supplement ceased to be available to new participants from 1 January 2012, but will continue for participants who commenced prior to 31 December 2011.
National Green Jobs Corps is a 26 week environmental training program that offers people aged 17 to 24 years a combination of work experience, skill development and accredited training.
National Green Jobs Corps placements are for 26 weeks for 25 hours per week for full capacity job seekers or 15 hours per week for principal carer parents in receipt of a participation payment. Participants with a partial capacity to work of 15 hours or more per week will participate to the level of their assessed work capacity for 26 weeks.
National Green Jobs Corps providers are required to ensure National Green Jobs Corps activities:
Participation in National Green Jobs Corps is open to:
Participation payment recipients cannot be compelled to join National Green Jobs Corps. However, once a participation payment recipient has volunteered to participate and the term has been entered into the EPP, attendance at the initial (referral) interview is compulsory and is the only aspect of a job seeker's participation that is dealt with under normal compliance processes. This means that if they fail to attend this appointment, without a good reason, this failure should be regarded as a potential connection failure.
Participation payment recipients who are in National Green Jobs Corps fully meet their requirements through participation and do not have other requirements. They are not required to look for work and, if they have a JSA provider, they may be suspended from employment services. People participating in disability employment services continue to be serviced by their provider while participating in National Green Jobs Corps.
Failure to commence, complete or comply with the conditions of a National Green Jobs Corps activity does not result in compliance action under the job seeker compliance framework, but can result in participants being exited from the program.
A job seeker may only undertake National Green Jobs Corps once. Once a person is exited from National Green Jobs Corps for any reason, they cannot recommence in the program.
Job seekers between the ages of 17 and 24 receiving income support (YA (other), NSA or PP) who participate in National Green Jobs Corps projects are eligible to receive a supplement of $41.60 per fortnight to assist with the additional costs of participation. The supplement is taxable, but is exempt from the income test. The supplement ceases when the participant turns 25.
The supplement is not paid on a pro-rata basis. The full payment is made for the fortnights in which the activity begins and ends, regardless of the actual number of participation hours completed in those fortnights. If a job seeker leaves an activity without good reason - that is, in circumstances that constitute a failure to comply with the terms in their EPP - the supplement is not payable for the fortnight in which the participant exits from participation, regardless of the number of hours the job seeker has completed in that fortnight.
Note: Participants who were receiving the supplement payment prior to 31 December 2011 will continue to receive it until they complete their placement or are exited from the program.
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Last reviewed: 3 January 2012
