ACOSS welcomes Labor’s proposal today to establish a ‘Future Jobs’ program for long term unemployed young people, if elected. While the program would reach a smaller number of unemployed people than the Coalition’s Youth Jobs PaTH scheme (20,000 a year instead of 30,000), it has two important advantages: unemployed people undertaking job placements would be paid a training wage and they would have access to recognised vocational training.
Both parties have now acknowledged how tough it is for people who are unemployed long term to get a foot in the door in today’s job market, and taken significant steps away from the discredited ‘Work for the Dole’ approach towards real work experience combined with training.
Both parties need to greatly expand these kinds of programs to reach more of the half a million people unemployed long term, and the Coalition needs to revise its Youth PaTH scheme to reduce the risks of underpayment or exploitation of young people.
See ACOSS’ analysis of the Coalition’s Youth PaTH program